Don't I belong anywhere?
by DevilGirl101
Summary: Cagalli had had a normal life, until a little family decided to pay a visit. Things completely changed for her. A new home, loosing family members while gaining new ones. Will she ever cope?
1. Meeting with fate

_**Well here's the second story. Hope you will like it. Just to let you know Cagalli is 12 years old here. But it will be later revealed in chapter 2, don't worry!**_

**_Disclaimer: I do NOT own Gundam Seed! ( Yes it is sad ... but true!)_**

**_Enjoy!_**

A light wind blew, ruffling the lush green grass. Tall trees stood towering over a small blond girl's body. A girl, by the name of Cagalli Yula Athha, sat on the ground gazing at the red roses in front of her. All kinds of flowers surrounded her petite body. And all Cagalli could do was think about the happiness they brought her. Every time she went to this quite garden of hers, she felt at ease. Like nothing could go wrong. Voices brought her back to reality. Slightly irritated, Cagalli stood up and turned her head. A boy with midnight blue hair, and emerald eyes stood staring at her. Two figures appeared behind him. A middle aged woman, with blue hair and emerald eyes. And an old man with grey eyes, matching that of his hair.

'Those are the coldest eyes I have ever seen.' Cagalli thought.

"Is this her?" The man asked.

"She's not at all what I expected. How can a face of such innocence be so dangerous? The Athha's must be out of their mind!"

'Who are these people? With their pale skin, and dull eyes. Surely they must not be from around here?' These thoughts lingered on Cagalli's mind. She did not feel at ease. The woman slowly urged forward. With every step she took, the frightened girl took one back. Until she had enough strength to turn around, and run away. Disappearing into her residence. The boy spoke this time slightly bemused.

"We are just wasting our time. How can someone who's afraid of her own kind, even be able to kill humans? Am I not correct mother?" He turned looking at his parent's worried faces. "Even so Athrun" Said the woman.

"You are still young and have allot to learn. One day when you are older you will understand."

A girl ran searching for her beloved parents. Something was completely off. The atmosphere within the house was awful. When running down the dark halls, every time Cagalli came across a servant, they quickly looked away. The emotions that showed on their faces, said that they knew something she didn't. A familiar door came in view. Cagalli slightly relaxed.

'Just a few more steps and mother will embrace with all her love. My minds just playing with me, nothing is wrong.'

"I refuse to give my daughter over to those monsters Uzumi!!" A loud voice came from behind the close door. A woman with brown hair and golden eyes stood glaring at her husband behind his desk.

"You forget Maria, that our daughter is one of those monsters!" Uzumi shouted. He was beyond mad.

"I am not pleased about this either."

"But ... Please I beg of you, let her stay." Tears started to stain Maria's cheeks, her voice frail. And her eyes pleading with all the might they had left.

"How can we just let them take her away? What if the Zala's hurt her?! What then Uzumi!!"

"We must!"Uzumi stood up walking to his wife. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"For everyone's safety, we must let them take her. They can help Cagalli!" He turned looking at the window.

"Have you even seen how she looks at you? Like you're some kind of meal!"

"It's not HER faults she's a vampire my love, and doesn't even know about it!" Uzumi turned around. All those sleepless nights started to show on his face. He looked miserable.

"Even so, they can guide her the right way. You must understand Maria."

"But..."

"They can teach the right methods to her. And when she is ready, then we will see her again." Cagalli stood outside. Every word said, she had heard.

'They do not want me. Father wants to send me away with those people that I saw earlier. Am I that much of a burden, am I?' The girl slid down to the ground, bringing her knees to her chest. Soft sobs filled the air.

'I'm worthless to them. Father does not want me anymore.' A gentle hand tugged at the girls sleeves. Looking up, Amber eyes met Emerald.

"Are you all right little Cagalli?" Asked the boy.

"Athrun!! Don't talk to her in such an informal way. Have I not taught any manners?!" Leonor scolded at her son.

"I'm sorry mother it won't happen again." The woman stepped forward offering her hand to the weeping girl, beaming a smile.

"Please child, do not cry. Take my hand."

"Noooooo!!" Cagalli screamed. Slapping away the offered hand she got up and ran, bursting through the wooden doors. A bewildered Maria and Uzumi stood, watching their daughter approach.

"Mom, dad!!"Cagalli said aloud. She jumped at her mother, the sudden extra weight causing Maria to stumble backward.

"Please don't let them take me mom! I promise to be good I swear." Maria looked at her husband in disgust.

"How am I to answer her question? When I know I'll just lie to her. Comforting my daughter, only to have her be taken away later." Her voice saddened.

"You tell me Uzumi, you tell me."

"Sighed, The Carriages are ready Mrs. Athha." Patrick said, as he let himself in the room followed by his wife and son.

"It's time we take her to her new home. Please hand her over." Maria stood half dragging her daughter forward. She tried to free herself from Cagalli's clutches, but it didn't work.

"Let go Cagalli" Maria said sadly. She still didn't budge. Uzumi lost his patience. Quickly and effortlessly he got Cagalli away from his wife, and handed her over to Patrick.

"Noooo!" the girl begged. Screaming and kicking at anything in her way, she tried to flee.

"Please let me go!" A pair of hands wrapped around her legs, stopping her movements. Once outside Cagalli had given up. She was dead beat of protesting all the way. But Leonor was all to glad she had stopped.

'What if she got hurt, in doing all these rash things?' The driver opened the carriage door, letting the blond girl in. And at the last minute, when the girl thought about of jumping out again. It was as if Athrun read her mind. Sensing she'd do something stupid, he quickly got in after her. Speaking low and soft for only her to hear.

"Don't even think about it!" He hissed. Pushing her gentle body back in, Athrun closed the door behind him. Leonor saw this and stopped her son.

"You know she is yet to discover he lust for blood, do you not?"

"Yes I know. I won't provoke her, don't worry mother."

"Very well" With one last glance inside Leonor took of occupying one of the other carriages. Athrun merely shook his head of the thoughts that appeared.

'I may be a child, but I can handle myself mother.' He had thought. Cagalli turned, looking out the opening at the back of the carriage. Her mother came rushing out the building, panting very loud. Tears came hurrying down her cheeks.

"Cagalli!!!" The girls face brightened.

"Mom!!!" Gradually the carriages started to move forward.

"Pro-promise"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Promise you'll be good?!" Maria was still running.

"Promise!!" Cagalli snapped out of her trance.

"Yes! Always mom."

"You will see me again, I assure you that Cagalli!" The woman finally came to a holt. Bit by bit she started to fade in Cagalli's sight. Woods covering any trace that was left of her presence. And as if meant to be heard, the wind carried the last few words from Maria's mouth to Cagalli.

"Live in the light my daughter."

* * *

Well ... how was that? Please R&R thank you!!


	2. Don't fight it

Okay first off ... i want to tank everyone who reviewed!! It felt so gr8 to read your comments! And it also seems that there was some few questions in the air.

Okay number 1. Cagalli is a vampire but she never knew it, until the zala's showed up.

2. Cagalli will be 12 years old in this chapter and the next and the next .... I'ts kind off hard to explain! It will be hard to make her grow up (But I think I can try ;0 ) I'ts because I know what the story is all about ... Hope it is not to confusing!!

3. Cagalli is a Athha at the moment. And in the later chapters it will be explained as to why, she is a vampire but Maria And Uzumi is not. So give it some time ... it will be explained.

4. I havn't thought about their ability yet. You know burn in the sun and those kind off stuff. (But I will now that you've mentioned it.)

Hope that gives you some answers to your questions ; )

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed !!!

Enjoy!

* * *

It was nearing dawn. The moon rising as the sun went down. Four hours have already passed since Cagalli was taken away from her home. Resting with her head on the door gazing out in the night. Hoping, praying that there was a misunderstanding. That they had the wrong house, the wrong girl.

"You should get away from the window. It's going to get cold soon." Cagalli turned looking at Athrun, who was sitting 'Guru' style opposite of her. She moved away, not uttering one word. Athrun spoke again, amused at Cagalli's sudden change of heart.

"What? No protest. That's new." He smiled this time.

"I'd presume that after the commotion you made earlier, that you'd be overflowing with rage by now? But you actually seem calmer." No response from the girl.

"You're not very talkative are you?" Still no answer.

"Okay... Tell you what. Let's start over, you know fresh." Cagalli turned looking at him.

"Fresh? Why would I want to do that?"

"Well..." Athrun started.

"We are going to be living together for the rest of our childhood years. That and I hate being on bad terms, with someone I had just met. Let alone a young girl." Athrun moved forward, sticking out his hand for Cagalli to greet.

"Please take it. I don't want to avoid you every minute of my life." At first Cagalli had flinched from the movement, scared that he might hurt her. Why she thought he'd do that no one knows. But after a moment she took it, feeling his warm touch next to her. They both withdrew smiling. Somehow this boy calmed her in a way.

'Maybe going away isn't such a bad thing after all. I mean being acquainted with this person; I would at least have somebody to speak to.'

"My name is Cagalli Yula Athha. I'm twelve years old, and I love to read. And you?" Cagalli's voice came only above a whisper. Athrun inspected her.

"You look cold" He stood up, sitting again next to Cagalli. She stiffened a bit, when he took of his coat, placing it on her bare shoulders. He spoke again.

"Well you know my name. I'm fourteen years old. And my parents are teaching me how to control my bloodlust. Just like what they're going to do with you." Athrun closed his eyes leaning backward, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Have you ever bitten someone Athrun?" Cagalli asked hastily. She watched him closely. Her gaze moving from his closed eyes, all the way down to his neck. Her eyes lingered there for a minute or two.

'No!!' Shaking her head slightly, Cagalli quickly looked away. How can she be thinking about his neck at a time like this? Thinking about the blood moving through those veins, it's like a sin. She should be worried about where they're taking her. And will they even be polite to her?

"It's tempting isn't it?" Athrun opened his eyes, looking at a stunned Cagalli.

"To never even have thought of blood, and now being exposed to it and your situation. All of the sudden it seems to be the only thing on your mind, right?" She looked away with shame. With every second that passed by, Cagalli was becoming more of what her father had called them. Monsters...Vampire. A disgusting filthy being, that feeds on humans to survive. But what troubles her the most, why now? Why let them take her away now all of the sudden? They had her entire life to do it, why not then? A low chuckle came from Athrun. Placing a hand on the girl's cheek caused her to blush furiously.

"Even now I find it extremely hard to control myself. One slipup ... and I could get severely punished." The warm touch on Cagalli's face took her breath away. Inch by Inch, she found herself falling for this child. A well raised boy, mature and full of respect. A boy who acted too old for his age. But Cagalli paid no mind to that. She knew she wanted him to smile for her, morning, afternoon and evening. A smile intended only for her.

"Are you not allowed to feed of your own kind?" Cagalli found herself asking him. "Yes, but ... It's shameful. Usually it means that you're afraid of humans, or you value they're life. Either way it's not acceptable." Athrun stared at Cagalli's face for a while longer, inspecting every inch.

"Such an innocent look. How can you be called a monster? Or is it just that looks can be deceiving. Hmmm?"

"You tell me Zala. Do these eyes and face look deadly to you?"

"No, that's what's bothering me. You're too sweet." Athrun said smiling. He dropped his hand from the girl's cheek, turning to face the open window.

"You're provoking me with that look. Please for your-" Their conversation was cut short, when one of the carriages wheels ran over an immense hole in the ground. Causing the means of transport to start running on two wheels. Neither Athrun nor Cagalli had foreseen this, the sudden impact throwing them off balance. The driver could be heard yelling for dear life in front. "Whoa!! Easy there stallions, calm down!" Thinking quickly and with a lot of effort, the driver shifted his weight to one side. Bringing the transport back on all wheels.

"Oh dear Lord thank you." He muttered, slightly bewildered. Meanwhile Athrun and Cagalli were struggling to get up, after the fall.

"What- what in the world?" Cagalli asked confused. Something heavy pinned her to the ground. Looking up, only to find Athrun on top of her. Her breath caught in her throat, at what she saw.

"I'm so-sorry." Athrun groaned pushing himself up.

"Ath- Athrun" Cagalli stammered.

"You're- you're bleeding!" A thin red line of liquid ran down the side of his face. Touching it, Athrun glanced back at Cagalli.

'Not good' Slowly the scent started to cloud her thoughts, playing with her emotions. Out of nowhere she felt a throbbing ache at the back of her throat. Cagalli wanted it, she needed it. It felt like she hadn't eaten for weeks. Then coming across something delicious, but you're not allowed to take it. What Athrun did next stunned her. He leaned down, their faces centimetres apart.

"Taste it." He whispered.

"We both know you want it. It helps to rather except it, and move on. That's what I did." An Immense amount of guilt gripped at Cagalli's heart. Bending down further, Athrun gave her a clear view. Slowly Cagalli cupped his face in her hand, bringing the wound closer to her mouth. Gradually she started licking at it. The taste not at all that of rough metal. But a sweet liquid, that tickles your tong every time you touch it.

'It tastes amazing! No wonder Vampires love it so much.' Cagalli just could not stop herself from moving downward. Athrun felt her move away but said nothing. Fangs grazed at his throat. Adding one last comment Athrun gave complete access to his skin, tilting his head backward.

"Speak of this to no one."

* * *

Okay hope it was ... Okay? maybe I should let Cagalli grow up a bit? Is she two young for this kind of thing?

It would be hard because I all ready have this written ( Next chap) And the whole story is sort off all ready in my mind! But do not fear I'll try to improve on things if needed.

Sorry for any grammar mistakes!

Anyway R&R!!


	3. Lesson 1: Don't feed of the maids!

_**I'm sooooo sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up!! You see I had no Internet for how long was it? more than 1 month!! Once again I apologize! Hope it will not happen again!! But anyway here it is. **_

**_ENJOY!_**

* * *

_**Chapter 3: Lesson one! Never feed of the maids. **_

"Weir here." Cagalli excitedly peeked out of the carriage. It's been two days since she's left her home. And if you just sit there staring at the countryside, day in and day out. It kind of gets to you after a while. To say she was bored was an understatement. Constantly she fidgeted moving from one side to the other. Athrun even had to scold her severe times, just to get her to sit still. But now they've finally arrived, and he was all to glad about that. One more minute with this girl and Athrun would have cracked. Tall trees stood towering over the road on each side, casting their shadows on the ground. A steel black gate up ahead. Its wall's going right and left, covering any possible entrance to the other side. Men bowing as they went past. Riding further, a building came in view. Cagalli tried focusing on the structure. It had a big wooden door, two white pillars on each side. With widows so tall, they almost reached the sky.

"It's beautiful!!" Athrun nodded. "Yes it is." The carriages slowly came to a stop. A man that looked like a butler or some sort, opened the door.

"Please follow me milady." Cagalli turned to Athrun, a confused face.

"Welcome to your new home **milady**." Athrun joked. Smiling he extended his arm for her to take. She did, willingly leaving the carriage. Lucky for Athrun he had a coat with him, so some of his earlier action was not so visible to the eyes outside. (Meaning the blood stains)

"Okay, all you have to do now is follow Lucerne here." Athrun gestured to the old man next to him.

'Oh the person who opened the door.' Lucerne bowed, placing a hand on his chest. This movement creaped Cagalli out.

'Why does everybody keep doing that to us?!'

"Lucerne will show you your room now and I will see you tonight for dinner. So if you'd excuse me, I have some matters to attend to." Athrun turned about to leave, but Cagalli stopped him grabbing his arm.

"You're leaving?"

"Uh, Yes. Is that a problem?"

"You can't leave!! I barley know these people!! What if they do something to me?" Athrun chuckled, placing a hand on Cagalli's face.

"Don't worry, as long as you don't go around chewing at people's necks .They can't do anything to you. Come on, I know you'll be fine." This comment, made Cagalli blush furiously.

"I-I'm not like that!"

"I know, I just like teasing you."He stepped back smiling.

"Now go, I'll meet with you later tonight okay?" Cagalli nodded.

"Yeah uh, bye."

(Page line)

"Dinner will be at six every night. All your belongings are in the closet and tomorrow you will have your first lesson at 9 am. Will that be all milady?" Cagalli turned to Lucerne.

"When's breakfast?"

'What!! Don't look at me like that. So I like my morning snack, sue me!'

"At 7 am milady." Cagalli nodded.

"Thank you that will be all." The butler nodded his head and left the room, closing the door behind him. Cagalli turned, inspecting her new bedroom. A double bed stood in the middle, backed up against the stone wall. The linens made out of grey silk, with matching black pillows. On each side of it stood bed lamps. And a big window at her right.

'Why do I feel like royalty?' She looked out the window.

'The suns about to set. Which means, it's almost time for dinner? I should get going.' Cagalli turned exiting the room. Thoughts started to dwell in her mind.

'Mom what are you doing right now? I wish you were here.' Her eyes sadden. She kept walking, passing every closed door. Cagalli came to a holt at a door that looked familiar. Earlier when Lucerne showed her around, she learned that the house consisted out of two levels. The first level was your kitchen, dining room, library etc. And the second floor was your bedrooms, study rooms, bathrooms etc. Entering the dining room, Cagalli's mood lifted a bit. There was Athrun sitting at the table smiling, talking to his mother. He noticed Cagalli and motioned for her to come sit next to him. She did.

"I'm glad you decided to come eat with us child." Leonor said smiling.

"So what do you think about your room. I hope it's to your liking?" Cagalli nodded.

"Yes thank you, but, it's really not necessary that you do all this for me."

"Oh no not at all Cagalli! Think of it as a welcome present from us all. Beside, this is going to be your home from now on as well." Cagalli could not help, but feel uneasy about what Leonor said.

'But I don't want to live here, don't I have a say in all this?'

"Ah Here comes the food! I hope you like meat with vegetables Cagalli?" Servants came, placing trays of food in front of them. Patrick followed, seating himself next to his wife.

"Sorry I'm late everyone, had to take care of a few things."

"It's alright dear, they just brought the food anyway." Cagalli stared at the meat for a while, before taking a bite. The taste was awful! Disgusting, so dull.

'What's going on? Why does it not taste like meat? It feels like eating a mouthful of salt all at once.' Athrun noticed this, and leaned to his side taking one of Cagalli's hands in his own.

"Don't worry." He whispered.

"Just don't think about it, it helps." He smiled at her, and continued eating still holding Cagalli's hand. She wanted to cry, a lump forming in her throat. But she ate in silence forcing the food down, swallowing the lump as well. 'I guess human food; have no meaning for me anymore.'

(Page line)

"I guess, I at least owe you an apology." Athrun said. He stopped in front of Cagalli's bedroom door.

"I should have warned you about the food, sorry." Cagalli just nodded in response.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then. Don't forget you've got class in the library."

"I won't, goodnight Athrun." Cagalli smiled and closed the door behind her. Sighing she took off her clothes and got in her nightdress, feeling very tired all of the sudden. The bed looked sort off welcome at the moment. Cagalli got in, but somehow it didn't feel right. The bed was cold, not warm like the one back home. The lump from earlier appeared again, her eyes feeling heavy from all the pain. And breathing started to become harder with every second that passed by. Almost immediately tears appeared on her cheeks. Clutching the pillow hard, Cagalli cried into it.

'I feel so lonely here. I don't want to be a monster. Is there no place where I truly belong?' With that last thought she finally fell asleep, having nothing near a sweat dream at all.

"Run!! Run till you're outside the house. It's not save here anymore." A woman with long brown hair, and violet eyes yelled at the blond girl.

"But mommy what about you?" The woman smiled and crouched down, touching the girls face. "Mommy's going to get your father and brother Cagalli. Don't worry I'll meet you outside okay? Now go quickly!" The girl nodded, a small tear running down her face. She turned, and ran out the door. A group of people had appeared that day all of them holding torches. Throwing rocks and screaming things at the house like: "The hell with you demons!" And "May God be on our side!" With seconds the house caught fire, flames everywhere. Cagalli had just made it out in time, but her mother was nowhere to be found. She attempted to enter the building again, but it was impossible. The heat of the flames was intense, smoke everywhere.

"Mommy!!" Cough- Cough. "Daddy!!" Cough-Cough.

"Yeah!!" Loud cheers came from every angle. This was too much for Cagalli. Tears came running down her cheeks. Everything started to spin around her.

"Whe-Where are you?!" Wood started cracking, slowly breaking under the heat. Cagallistood watching as the doors arch gave in. Pieces of wood falling down, and knocking her out. And all she remembered was seeing black all around her, followed by two blurry figures appearing in front of her.

(Page line)

"Nooooooo!!" A loud yell filled the halls. Cagalli bolted up in her bed, clutching at her head. Within minutes a worried Leonor came bursting through the door, gasping at the sight.

"Cagalli child!" Cagalli was drenched in sweat, trembling with fear. Leonor rushed to the crying child. She sat on the bed, bringing Cagalli closer to her chest.

"What happened child. Did you have a bad dream or something?"

"I-I... It was awful, flames everywhere!"

"Flames? Child what happened?"

"I-I" Sniff "I feel like I know the place somehow."

"What place?" Leonor asked concerned.

"In my dream, a town house. People burned it down, and a woman told me to run. I called her mother for some reason." Cagalli buried her face, clutching at Leonor.

"It was awful."

"Shhhh ... It's okay. It was just a bad dream." Leonor soothed. "Don't be frightened." Amidst all this Athrun and his father stood at the door. Athrun kept staring at Cagalli's face. She's stopped crying, but was now weeping silently.

'Getting her to adapt to this place, is going to take longer than I predicted.' Athrun thought. 'I kind of feel sorry for you little Cagalli. May tomorrow be a better day.'

(Page line)

Leonor sighed, closing the door. "Poor child, such horrible dreams."

"Will she be okay?" Athrun asked concerned.

"Yes, she's calmed down a bit. But somehow I feel that was no dream, maybe a memory?"

"What are you talking about mother?" They started walking down the hall.

"I mean as in how can one dream of a house to such detail, and not have seen it once? Surely it must have been a memory. She even explained the woman to the last detail!"

"I guess you're right. It is kind of strange for her to dream of a house to such extent, and not know it. But we don't know for sure." "Yes, I know." Leonor said.

"But I still find it strange. Somehow I feel like I know the woman Cagalli talked about." Athrun looked at his mother confused. She saw this and quickly added.

"Oh no, don't worry. My minds just running away from me, I mean how can that even be possible." Leonor stopped and touched her sons cheek.

"Now go to bed it's late and you've got class tomorrow." Athrun nodded.

"Goodnight mother." And went to his room. Leonor glanced one last time at her son, before taking off again.

'Something's off. Something's really off.' She thought.

(Page line. Again!)

"Miss wake up, you're going to be late for breakfast." The maid shook a bit at Cagalli's still body.

"Miss?" A low groan came from the girl. Slowly she sat up, rubbing at her eyes.

"What time is it?" Cagalli asked groggily. The maid smiled at the sight. The girl's hair was ruffled in all possible directions. She looked so sweet and innocent.

"It's six thirty am miss." Cagalli yawned some more, and got out of bed.

"I should get ready then hu?" The woman chuckled.

"Yeah I think so. Do you need any help getting dressed?"

"No I'll be fine, thank you ...?"

"Silvia, my names Silvia." The maid added.

"Silvia" Cagalli repeated. "Well thank you, but no thank you. Like I said I'll be fine." Silvia nodded and left the room. Cagalli stared at the retreating maid. Her long brown hair caught Cagalli's eyes.

'Why do I feel like I should remember something? Humph.' Cagalli shrugged her shoulders.

'I'll remember it later, I know I will.' She turned and went for the door, which led to the bathroom.

'Time to clean myself up, and head for breakfast.'

(Page line)

Cagalli walked, passing doors in the hall. Upon reaching the dining room on the first floor, she entered smiling.

"Morning everyone!" Athrun looked up concerned and Leonor stopped her conversation with Patrick.

"Uh morning Cagalli, I hope you slept well?" Leonor asked.

"Yes thank you, I slept like a rock." Cagalli beamed even more. Sitting next to Athrun, she started eating in silence. Athrun started to worry.

'Is she putting up a smiling face to fool us all?' He lifted his hand placing it over Cagalli's. This movement surprised her a bit.

"Cagalli ..." Athrun started.

"Do you remember what happened last night?" Cagalli looked up confused.

"What are you talking about? Should I remember something?"

'She doesn't remember, that's odd. Unless...' Athrun turned to his mother furious.

"Mother!! You didn't-"

"No! Of course not, Athrun I'd never do that!"

'God I don't hope so. Taking someone's memories away from them. It's cruel and unjust.' Leonor had once taken Athrun's memory away from him after he had had a horrible dream. Although the dream was unpleasant, Athrun had still found it a bit irritating that Leonor had just taken it away. (A/N: Leonor's ability is to take away peoples memory, or temper with them.) Athrun turned back to the girl.

"The dream Cagalli, that you had last night. You were devastated!"

"Dream? What dream? Look I don-" Cagalli's eyes felt heavy again. It all came back to her. The house, the flames and that woman. That's why this morning with Silvia, she felt like there was something she forgot. Silvia's brown hair was the same colour of that woman in her dream. A creamy brown, which attracts your eyes so easily. Cagalli tried to smile, but she could not. The dream felt so real, almost as if it just happened yesterday. A tear ran down her face.

"I'm – I'm sorry. I try to be strong, but I can't seem to do that. So many things happened so fast for me, I can't take it all in at once." Leonor quickly stood up, but Patrick stopped her and gestured to Athrun. He brought Cagalli closer to him, hugging her tightly.

"I just want to go home."

"But Cagalli you are home, this place is your home now. We want you to be here." Patrick said. The girl calmed down a bit and relaxed in Athrun's arms. Leonor spoke this time.

"If you let us into your hart Cagalli, we can love so much. Just like Maria and Uzumi. But only if you let us in." She stood walking to Cagalli.

"We are your family now. And I see you as my own child, my daughter." Athrun dropped his hands from Cagalli, smiling. Leonor touched her cheek slightly.

"Will you give us a chance Cagalli? Please?" Cagalli was shocked. She never knew they felt that way about her.

'Is this really happening? Do they really want me to stay with them?' She found herself answering the question, smiling.

"Yes, thank you for everything." Leonor embraced Cagalli with all her love.

"Promise just one thing."

"Yes? What is it?" "Promise me never to cry again, only of joy." Cagalli hesitated for a bit, but answered anyway.

"I promise mother." (A/N: Cagalli has moved on that is why she called Leonor her mother. But she has not forgotten Maria or Uzumi!!)

(Page line)

Cagalli walked silently next to Athrun. They were heading on their way to the library, for their 9 am class that was about to start. The girl was completely nervous.

'What are they going to do to me?' Cagalli thought with a blank face. Athrun noticed this and kind off guessed what she was thinking. One thing that even amazed Athrun was that since he was little he was able to tell what people were thinking. And most of the time he was more than 80% correct. (A/N: Athrun's ability is to read peoples expressions.)

"Don't worry ... They're just going to provoke you with blood, nothing serious." Athrun said smiling. His face suddenly harden and he frowned.

"But if you can't resist temptation you will get punished severely." Cagalli's face paled.

"You got to be kidding me. That's how they teach you to control yourself?"

"Yes but you see, it's the thought of getting punished that kind of sticks to your head after a while. Well only if you've gotten punished before that is, then you will most likely not go for the blood. Trust me, I know."

"Oh ..." Came the toneless reply. They stopped at a wooden door, and Athrun opened it. A man with blond hair and blue eyes was sitting behind a desk looking at some papers. In front of him were two tables, no wait three tables in a straight line?

"Please come in, sit down" The man said. He lifted a hand gesturing to the open tables.

"My name is Mu la Flaga. I'll be your mentor for the remainder of the year. That's you off course Cagalli, but with Athrun here I've been his mentor for almost three years now. Oh ... And you can just call me Mu." Mu said smiling. Cagallinodded and took a seat at her left. There were bookshelves all around them. A candle here and there lighting the room. And a big portrait of a country house above a fireplace next to Cagalli. Athrun sat down to Cagalli's right.

"So I'll be handing out some books that I want you to read later one, especially you Cagalli." Mu placed one of the said books on each of the student desks.

"Athrun where's Kira today? It's never like him to be late." Mu asked turning to his desk.

"He's sick sir, something about a stomach ache, but I don't think that's the real reason."

"I see." Cagalli leaned in closer to Athrun.

"Who's Kira?"

"Oh just a friend of mine. He's really nice and I'm sure once you meet him, you guys will be the best of friends. That's why there's three desks."

"Oh ... When will I meet him?" Cagalli asked excitedly. Mu started to walk forward, faking a big smile. Athrun started to talk again.

"Well like I said, he does have stomach ache. So he won't be here in at least two to three day's I-"

"I'm really glad that you two are bonding" Mu said mockingly.

"But, where in the middle of a class ... PAY ATTENTION!" Cagalli and Athrun quickly turned their heads forward, apologizing at once.

"Sorry sir!" Mu just shook his head.

"Never mind, just don't let it happened again." He walked behind his desk opening a drawer.

"So today I'm going to be putting blood packets in front of each of you. The first one to even touch it or drink it will be punished severely." Mu took the packets and placed them in front of Cagalli and Athrun.

"It's simple really. This should even be an easy task for Cagalli. She had never tasted blood as far as I'm concerned, hhhmmm?" Mu eyed Athrun.

"Please do not hesitate to correct me if I'm wrong." Athrun shifted in his chair.

'What's he getting at too? Mu is acting strange today.'

"No your right, she had never drank blood before." Athrun stated plainly. For a second he could have sworn he saw disgust on Mu's face, but it disappeared just as quickly. Mu started to laugh out loud.

'Shit!' Athrun glanced at worriedly at Cagalli.

'What if she can't take it!?' They exchanged glances. Pain was written all over Cagalli's face. This was actual torture for her.

'Damn!' Athrun scolded mentally.

'Why didn't I tell anybody?! I knew this was going to happen, yet... (A/N: I must say, for a fourteen year old he sure swears allot!!) Mu sat down in his desk, eyeing them both nonstop.

'This should be interesting' Mu thought.

'This shall also teach Athrun a lesson about holding his mouth when he should not.' Cagalli looked around nervously. Her thoughts were running wild in her head.

'What am I going to do?! I won't be able to hold in for much longer, what kind of class is this anyway?!' With every minute that ticked by, it became even harder for Cagalli to strain herself. The bloods scent was so delicious, luring you in bit by bit.

'I can't take this anymore!' Cagalli thought angry. Her thoughts were clouding again. All these events didn't go unnoticed by Mu.

'Somehow I feel sorry for you Cagalli.' Mu thought sadly.

'It has to be done; it's for your own good.' Knock-Knock. Mu snapped back out of his mind. The door at the back opened and in came a maid holding papers, that looked all too familiar to Cagalli.

'Silvia' everyone thought at the same time.

"Sorry to interrupt sir."Silvia said, coming closer. She held out the papers.

"But I've got some urgent documents from Sir Patrick, that he wants you to look at."

'Just my luck!' Athrun thought angrily. 'If the scent of the blood packets weren't enough, now there has to be a damn human in here to! Kill me now' Athrun looked at Cagalli. She was eyeing Silvia intensely.

'Crap! She won't last one more minute in this room.'

"Awww! Oh, ah paper cut." Silvia said pulling her hand back. A thin line of blood came to the surface, only to fall to the ground. This one movement completely tipped the 'scale of restrain' for Cagalli. A growl came from the girl, as she lunged head first to Silvia. The said person gasped and took a step back, tripping to the ground.

"NOOOO!!" Athrun screamed. Mu quickly stepped in front of Silvia, shielding her from Cagalli.

"Stop Cagalli!!" In one swift movement Athrun jumped out of his desk, tackling Cagalli to the ground. His heavy body pinned her down.

"Get off me!" Cagalli screamed, struggling.

"No!" Athrun tightened his grip on her.

"Snap out of it Cagalli! Don't do this" Athrun said angry. Mu helped Silvia up, quickly leading her to the door.

"Please I believe it would be best if you left this instant. I' am deeply sorry about this." Mu apologized opening the door.

"Please tell this event to know one, for now ..." Silvia nodded, closing the door after her. Mu turned to the screaming Cagalli and glared at Athrun furious.

"You will do good to tame her from now on! You realise that if you did not stop her in time, Silvia could have been badly injured by now?!"

"I know that!" Cagalli kept on struggling, almost throwing Athrun off balance.

"You mind helping me out **Sir**?" Athrun hissed through his teeth.

"She's getting to strong for me."

'And all this happened because I gave Cagalli fresh blood. Maybe next time I'll listen to my Parents and stop my pity act, because all it seems to do is get me in a world of trouble!' Athrun thought helplessly. Mu came closer and placed a hand on Cagalli's shoulder.

"Don't touch me! Please just let me go!" She pleaded.

"Sorry ..." Mu said sadly. Pain jolted through Cagalli's whole body, as she felt two fingers press down on her pressure points. Slowly her vision started to blur, until she was completely blacked out. The harsh movement died under Athrun. He looked one last time at Cagalli's face, before standing up and sighing a breath of relieve. He picked her sleeping body up, heading for the door.

"I'm going to take Cagalli to her room. I don't think mother would be too pleased to see a passed out student on the ground."

"This is your fault you know ..." Mu said bemused. Athrun turned around confused.

"My fault Sir? I don't really understand."

"Oh don't play dumb with me!" Mu snapped back angrily, turning to his desk.

"I know very well what you did in that carriage! And frankly ... I'm not too happy about it." Athrun starred back blankly.

'He knew?! That's not good.'

"Well ... What do you have to say for yourself Athrun?"

* * *

**Well hope it was okay . . . R&R!! And longer chapie!! yeah!!**


	4. Gone, Gone,Gone!

_**Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up. I was gone for very long, and had no Internet at all! Is there even any of you out there who still read this?**_

**_But anyway... R&R please. Got an question, don't mind to ask. I hope this story isn't to confusing!_**

* * *

_**Chapter 4:Gone gone gone! **_

Mu turned back looking at Athrun. "I asked you a question."Athrun's face hardened.

"Well are you going to answer me? Or are you going to ignore me?!" Mu asked furious.

"Why did you do it Athrun?!" Anger was starting to get the better of Mu. Athrun turned heading for the door, disgust in his voice.

"I do not need to explain myself to you." Mu started walking grabbing him by his shoulder.

"I just want to know Athrun, that's all I ask of you ... Look at me!" With a sigh, Athrun turned for the thousands time.

"Look Mu can we please talk about this later, I need to get Cagalli to her room."

"No!! We will not talk about this later. You will answer me Athrun. I am your Teacher, as well as your guardian. You can trust me."

'This is just stupid and a waste of my time, for all I know Mu never even saw me give Cagalli my blood.'

"How'd you know anyway?!" Athrun asked fuming. Mu raised a searching eyebrow, answering the question.

"I'll tell you how I knew! Next time when you throw your clothes in the wash, make sure there aren't any traces of your blood left, that will help a lot, trust me."

'Blood? Wait, WHAT! But I checked the shirt myself. It was spotless. How could I have been so stupid?!' Athrun scolded himself mentally.

'Just leaving the so called bloody shirt there? What's wrong with me?!' Mu continued reprimanding his student.

"Lucky for you I saw the shirt and took it away before any of the maids found it first."

". . ." Athrun was speechless.

"Why didn't you tell anybody? Were you scared that you might get punished?" Mu asked concerned.

'Either way, punish or no punish. I would still not have told you Mu. But maybe ... I should have done at least that.'

"I realize now that what I have done was wrong, it was disgraceful. It will never happen again Mu, please forgive me." The harsh lines of Mus' face softening at the apology.

"There's no need to sound so formal Athrun, I just wanted to know why."

"Just be careful, this is more serious than you have come to think. What if the maids told your parents what happened?" Mu look concerned at Athrun, who was staring at Cagalli's' face. "So that's why you did it, now I understand." Athrun raised his head, confused.

"What are you talking about? I seem to have lost you somewhere along the way?"

"The question I asked you earlier... You have feelings for this girl, don't you?" Athrun headed towards the door, opening it slightly, and then, stopping suddenly before turning around decisively.

"Don't tell a soul about what happened earlier today, okay? Let's just keep this between the two of us, for now."

"Very well, I will." Mu replied, sitting down at his desk. "Don't worry, you can trust me." Sounds of a door closing could be heard and a sigh from the old man behind his desk.

'What am I going to do with you Athrun?' Mu thought bitterly.

'You're like a magnet for trouble, trouble that seems to have doubled since Cagalli came around. May the evening's events go unnoticed for your sake.'

(Page line)

The shadow of a body lurked in the hallways of the Zala's residence, the shadow of Athrun Zala no less. Tiptoeing about nervously, glancing around once in a while. Praying that there be no maid within the next corner, which he had to turn at. Hoping that no one will notice the passed out body he was carrying in his arms. The thought of being caught in this particular position, made the situation even worse for Athrun. If it wasn't enough for him, that he was sneaking around in his very own house!!

'If mother were to catch me now, I'd be dead for sure.' A sound came from behind Athrun, turning around only to find nothing there that could have caused it.

'Strange.' Athrun thought nervous. He turned around, brushing it off as just another one of those mind tricks. Must be the symptoms off doing something you know you should not.

'Ignore it, just ignore it. Keep walking Athrun, just keep walking.' Athrun calmed himself, convinced that it was just him being stupid and childish and that there was nothing to worry about. A familiar door came in view. Upon reaching the said destination that was Cagalli's room, Athrun glanced at the sleeping form again.

'How can you scream the one minute and sleep so silently the next? From the look on your face, I'm guessing your having a pleasant dream at the moment.' Athrun smiled at this. How the girl could even go on sleeping was beyond him. After everything that just happened. Even if Athrun was maybe the one to be knocked out, he would surely have woken up immediately. Would he have not? Gazing at her know, she seemed peaceful in a way, for some bizarre reason. After contemplating his situation, Athrun was left with just one thought on his mind.

'Okay ... How to open the door, while not waking Cagalli up.' Surly it must be easy. Athrun had seen many programs, as well as movies. Every single soul in the movies and programs, had known how to do this. Opening the door with ease, a bride in hand or just a normal girl for that matter. A look of confidence on the guys face, ready to take on the world of 'manly hood'. Though the woman in their hands were normally awake then and not asleep. But by the way Athrun raised that exhausted questioning look, after many failed attempts at opening the door. Nearly dropping Cagalli to the ground twice or even more, while trying. One thought still stuck to his mind.

'How hard can it be to open a damn door with no hands?!' That's when it struck the poor dumbfounded boy. Since Cagalli had not waken up once, after Athrun had almost dropped her carelessly to the ground. Surly putting her down with allot of gentle care, she will not wake up.

'I swear! Sometimes I can be so stupid. What's gotten into me lately?' Athrun thought, frustration starting to get the better of him. Putting Cagalli down, Athrun opened the door to her room. (With a **lot**of ease by the way.) Picking the snoring girl in his arms once again, Athrun entered slamming the door shut with his right foot.

'Now how hard was that?!' Though the thought from earlier still lingered on his mind. But there will be more than enough time to waste on how to solve this so called mystery later. Hopefully before he reached the time of 'manly hood'. Athrun could just see it coming. A girl in hand at their honeymoon destination. Just about to enter the room and he Athrun Zala still wouldn't know how to open the damn door!! Dropping the poor girl (who ever she may be) injuring her ankle, both of them off to the hospital worried faces and all. Oh the embarrassment. But like said, there will be many times to ponder on that specific thought. For now all that mattered, was getting Cagalli into bed and let her rest a while. When she wakes up, all hell will probably break loose. Her voice demanding and furious. Maybe even sad. Athrun crossed the floor, heading to one side of the bed. Placing Cagalli down with tender arms, he gazed at her one last time, smiling.

"Sweat dreams Cagalli." Athrun said warmly. He turned and went for the exit, closing it behind him softly. His eyes lingered on the door for awhile, as one final thought crossed his mind.

'One day I will open you with no hands. You just watch me! One day...'

(Page line)

A few hours have passed since the incident in the library. Athrun had concealed himself within his room, for fear that his mother or father would find him wondering in the halls. If that would to be the case, he'd have to lie to them about why he wasn't attending his classes. And the thought of doing so, made him feel uneasy. Gazing at his papers in front of him, as Athrun sat his desk. A few thoughts crossed his mind. Why didn't Mu tell his parents about what happened? Would he really keep his mouth shut? Or was it all just a trick to calm him down, knowing that no one would tell of the incident. Either way Athrun had still found it strange, that Mu had told him to go to his room. Apparently his mind was too distracted for any form of learning. Well it was partly true. There was also the fact that Mu had instructed Athrun to stay out of sight, and keep himself busy. At least until all his actual lessons were over.

"Ppppfffftttt! Keep myself busy ... with what!!" A soft knocking sound came from his door, no louder than that of a whisper. Athrun stood with a worried look, hastily walking to the door. Another knock.

"Coming!" He placed a hand on the said object, slowly turning the knob.

'Please let it not be mother! Please let it not be moth-'

"Cagalli!? Wha-What are you doing here? "

"Hey." The blond stood in front of him, nervously glazing at the floor.

"Can I come in?" Athrun was dumbstruck.

"Wha-Uh..."Realization downed upon Athrun. Cagalli was standing in the open hallway where any random person could see her, and him as well. Quickly grabbing her wrist he pulled Cagalli inside the room, shutting the door behind him. The action causing a gasp to come from the blond, followed by a confused look.

"Sorry." Athrun said, sitting at his desk.

"If somebody saw us, we'd be in trouble."

"Right because of what I did, now where not in class anymore." Cagalli's voice faded a little at the end. She stood there glancing at everything except Athrun.

"Well?" Athrun questioned.

"Are you going to stand there all day, or sit down? The bed doesn't bite you know..." The blonds cheeks puffed a little.

"I know that!" She snapped back, anger in her voice. Cagalli walked over to his bed and sat down, her face flushed furious from the comment. Athrun kept eyeing her closely.

'Cute' He thought, turning his eyes to her eyes.

"So." He started

"How'd you know where my room was? You know just curious."

"I asked one of the m-maids." Cagalli answered shyly looking away. The events of earlier were still very fresh in her mind, to fresh for her liking.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"If I were to know that you were awake, I would have kept you company. But then again, Mu instructed us-well me to stay in my room. At least until all my lessons were done." Both their eyes locked for a second, Cagalli the first one to brake the contact, her face flushed some more. Somehow Athrun made her blush all the time, if he only knew the effect he had on her. If only Cagalli knew she had the same effect on him as well.

"Oh, well no. You don't need to keep me company. I woke up just a minute ago anyway."

"Okay. How um... How do you feel?" Athrun Asked, quickly adverting his stare. The question took the girl by surprise. Her face said it all.

"Um, well I don't really know how I feel." Cagalli answered truthfully.

"Wait, let me reparse that question."Athrun said smiling gently.

"Do you feel like chewing at somebody's neck?"

"Uh, no should I?"

"Yes and no. It depends on how high your craving for blood is. You did taste fresh blood only yesterday. So it would only be normal for you to want more."

"Uh-Okay." Athrun could read from Cagalli's expression, that she was indeed relieved. And so was he. A vampire with a craving for blood, lots of blood, was the last thing he wanted to deal with now. Absentmindedly Cagalli shifted on the bed. Her gaze went to the patterns on the linens, and slowly she started to trace them with her fingers. Complete silence filled the room, with Athrun leaning backward on his chair, eyeing Cagalli's movements.

"You know, my mother does that a lot to."

"Yeah?" Cagalli asked curious.

"Yeah well she usually does that, when she's got something on her mind." With that said, the girls movements died down immediately.

"You doing that, only makes it even more suspicious that you got something on your mind."

"Tracing patterns doesn't mean anything!" Cagalli countered back for herself."

"Then why'd you stop?" He asked a sincere grin on his face.

"Because I just did."

"I'm just asking."

"Well I'd appreciate if you don't."

"Fine, then I'll just sit here and pretend that you don't exist."

"Good!" Cagalli said again irritated.

"Fine." Both of them turned their gazes away from each other, forcing themselves to look at something else. Silence overpowered the room again, but not for long. Not until Athrun broke it again, looking Cagalli up and down.

"What's your problem? You're mad at something or so it seems. And now you're taking it out on me."

"I'm not mad at anything!" Cagalli said.

"Then don't raise your voice and calm down."

"I'm not raising my voice!!" Athrun sighed and stood from his current position, not believing one word she was saying. Crossing the floor, he sat down next to her. He looked at Cagalli sternly. Athrun asked the one question, that the blond had still not answered yet, again.

"What are you mad at?" Cagalli moved away, at the sudden closeness. Her voice shaked a little as she spoke.

"I-I don't know." She just felt so furious all the time. Like something was missing. You know it, but you can't seem to remember it. And the same with her emotions. She knows what's making her so angry, yet she doesn't want to admit it herself. Athrun touched her cheek, wiping a tear way.

"Are you mad at yourself?"

"Myself?" Cagalli asked confused. What If he did have a point? Maybe all her anger did come from herself and not something else.

"I-Um" "Well?" Athrun asked impatiently.

"I- well." It made sense in a way now. But why would she be mad at herself? Now that she thinks about it. Maybe it was because she's such a idiotic person.

"Arg! Yes I'm mad, mad at myself!" Cagalli screamed, getting off the bed. Athrun followed her every move, as she walked from the one side of the room to the other side.

"why?" He asked plainly.

"Because I'm such an idiot! I do thing without thinking. As a matter of fact, I can't do anything right!"

'So she's mad about the maid thing.' Athrun thought to himself.

"If you're referring to what happened earlier, you know that's not your fault."

"But I still did it, and you can't argue with that!"

"Yeah but." Athrun said, standing up.

"It's my fault. If I didn't give you any fresh blood, none of this would have happened." Cagalli's voice softened, and so did her eyes.

"But you did give me blood, your blood no less." Athrun blushed a little. As much as he wanted, he couldn't argue with that point. Cagalli was right, completely right about everything. The fresh blood triggered a nerve within her body. And now at a young age like Athrun, Cagalli will always have a craving for blood. No matter what.

'Ah crap! Why do I always get myself into these complicated situations?!!' Athrun thought. But what still took His mind now and then was, the fact that Cagalli never knew she was a vampire.

'Ring -Ring-Ring-Ring' (Note: The bell.) As mall bell like sound filled the halls signaling the beginning of lunch period. They both looked at each other, and Athrun spoke calmly turning to the door.

"Lunch bell. Come on lets go."Cagalli hesitated a little, but quickly rushed after Athrun as he disappeared from her view.

"Hey wait up!" A small smiled crossed his features.

'You're so cute, yet you don't even know it.' They both entered the dining room aka the cafeteria. To plates were already set for them. The room was filled with a familiar scent of last night.

"Meat?" Cagalli asked confused.

"Yeah."

"For lunch?" They both resumed their seats from earlier, a fork and knife in each hand.

"Because the meat is so filling, it helps to keep us from becoming hungry unnecessarily." Athrun spoke matter of fact.

"Joy . . ."Cagalli said sarcastically.

"I get to eat a mouth full of salt all over again." Athrun chuckled at her statement.

"No kidding! I've been eating this stuff for three years! How do you think I feel?!"

"You seem fine to me." Cagalli said smiling sincerely. Athrun's grip on the knife tightened. He started cutting the meat, while mumbling to himself.

"That's what you think." He started eating, and said nothing. Cagalli stared at him for a while, before turning to her own plate. How appetizing it must be to eat something with no taste.

"So." Cagalli started, poking at the meat.

"We go back to class after this?" Athrun glanced at her, and then back at his plate.

"No, not possible. We need to stay out of sight. But we still have to fool people into thinking that we're still attending school." He took another bite from his food, and turned to cagalli eyeing her full plate.

"You're not going to eat that, are you?"

"Nope!" Came the honest, yet instant reply. A thought crossed Athrun's mind.

"I guess you leave me no choice then." He said sighing. Cagalli looked at him.

"No choice for what-!"

"This! Come here!" No way was he going to let Cagalli starve herself to death or something along that line. In one swift movement Athrun grabbed a fork with some meat on it, and tackled Cagalli off her chair.

"Wha- Hey!" He started tickling her sides, while holding the meat near her mouth.

"If you don't eat this, then I won't stop tickling you at all!!" Athrun warned jokingly.

"Never!" Cagalli countered back, tears running down her cheeks.

"Please! Ha Ha. Stop!"

"Not until you open your mouth!"

"O-Okay, I'll do it!" Somebody cleared their throat, at the entrance of the room. Athrun immediately stopped his movement. At the door stood Leonor and Patrick.

"Athrun." Patrick said slightly bemused. The sight wasn't really one you'd want to walk in on. Let alone see your boy tickling another girl on the floor. Athrun quickly got off the floor, helping Cagalli up as well. Leonor spoke up this time, shaking her head in a disapproval way.

"I'm so disappointed in you Athrun." Patrick came closer glaring.

"Have we not taught you anything at all?! Clearly from your behavior, no!" His voice got even harsher, after every word was spoken. It even made Cagalli winch now and then. Patrick seemed kind of nice in the beginning. But now-.

"You know the rules of this house! Then why do you disobey them so much?!" Athrun was a little confused. What were they talking about?

"Father I-"

"You gave her blood!" Leonor said, cutting Athrun off. She turned to Patrick.

"What if she can't stand it? What would the Hibiki's Say? If they knew, we were braking rules right and left here-" Patrick interrupted her.

"The Hibiki's won't have to find out. This was a minor incident; trust me it won't happen again. Not with what we have planned." Cagalli just stood there, facing the floor. Never had she had people fighting over her. It made her mad and sad at the same time. She's just causing trouble for everyone all over again. And who are the Hibiki's anyway!?

"Cagalli." Patrick started.

"Go to your room. I will personally see to it myself that you get your punishment later" Athrun objected at this.

"But father, it wasn't her fault! It's mine. If I didn't give her blood-"

"If you're at fault. Then we'll just have to punish you even harder!" Patrick screamed. If there was one thing he couldn't ignore simply, was feeding of your own kind. It just cannot be done. If some of the higher families were to know about this incident, his family would be banished from the land. There is already so few of them. And then at Athrun's outburst, Cagalli wanted to object as well. He gave her the choice to drink, and she accepted it. When she could just as easily have said no. Leonor walked over to Cagalli.

"When precisely did you drink blood Cagalli?" Leonor asked concerned.

"Y-Yesterday. In the Carriage."

"I see." Leonor pondered at the answer for a while. Patrick sighed.

"Hopefully her reaction towards blood won't be so bad. All though she may have been exposed to blood, on the very day that her senses came back again." Athrun eyed Cagalli. He still found it strange that she didn't know she was a vampire. Leonor turned to Athrun, still displeased by his behavior.

"You. Don't even get me started at everything you did wrong. When we found out about what happened this morning, you father and I wasn't pleased at all."

"You give us no choice Athrun, but it must be done." Patrick said.

"Father I promise it won't happen again-" Patrick went for the door, and said one last thing before leaving.

"It's a little too late for that don't you think? Pack your things Athrun Be ready this evening." Cagalli's head snapped up.

"What!-"

"Obviously our new family member, is distracting you from where your loyalties really lie." Leonor said plainly.

"We'll be sending you away for a while." She followed her husband out of the room.

"This is the best for all of us. We want you to excel in you studies, not get distracted." The door closed.

'Their sending him away?' Cagalli thought.

'Just because he gave me a little blood!' Cagalli looked at Athrun. He seemed irritated, and confused all at once.

'Way to go Cagalli. You just got somebody kicked out of their own house.'

* * *

**Well how was that?**

**Yup Athrun goes away! But he comes back don't worry! Poor Cagalli how ever will she handle this?!**

**R&R!!**


	5. Walking away from you

_**Hey sorry it took me so long to get this up.(Even though I had it done two and a half weeks ago.) I had some problem getting internet. (Again!) But anayway, this might be **_

_**the last chapter for a while. Well until I come back from vaction that is. But enjoy! And see you soon. **_

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_**Chapter 5 **_

_4:30 pm. It was almost time for Athrun to depart. Where he was going, Cagalli wasn't so sure about. All she heard was something about him staying at another family. At the moment she was in Athrun's room, trying to talk him out of going. (Yet she was failing miserably.) Even though she new Athrun wasn't allowed to disobey direct orders from his parents. She kept on trying, hoping that he would give in, and try and talk his parents out of it. Every time Athrun placed a shirt in his bag, Cagalli would just take it out and place it back into the drawer it came from. Athrun would then take another shirt and put it back into the bag, replacing the one that went missing. He sighed, and placed his hands and over Cagalli's, stopping her from taking yet another shirt. _

_"Look we can keep doing this forever, but it won't stop me from going." Cagalli's face saddened. Guess doing this, can't make him stay after all. She had hoped, that he would at least say something about all of his. But he did nothing. Not even blink. After Leonor and Patrick left, so did Athrun. He went straight to his room, and started packing. Cagalli was hot on his trail, a little confused. Everything happened so fast. One moment he was tickling her, and the next he was told to pack his bags. Athrun looked at Cagalli one last time, making sure she wasn't about to zap another shirt as he was to turn around to the drawer again. _

_"It's unfair!!" Cagalli burst out screaming all of the sudden. _

_"I'm just as much at fault here like you. Why aren't they sending me away to?!" Athrun chuckled, and piled up all the clothes Cagalli had managed to take away from him, in his arms. He turned around, balancing the clothes, walking to his bag. _

_"Because, their trying to get me away from you. What's the point in sending me away, if you tag along?" Cagalli looked away, blushing. She got to hand it to him, he had a point there. But none the less, that wasn't what she was trying to say. _

_"I didn't mean it like that Athrun." She said, casting her eyes to the ground. _

_"I meant, why send you away, when they could just have send me?" It would spare them so much trouble, if they had just send Cagalli away. Away to another family, to be looked after. She'd be out of their hair then, wouldn't she? Athrun stopped packing, and looked at Cagalli. _

_"I was going to go anyway. But after we got the call from your parents, Leonor thought that it would have been best, if I rather stayed here." _

_"Why?" Cagalli asked frowning. Why would his parents let him stay here, just because they weir getting a new family member? (Well guest.) _

_"Umm…" Athrun started, scratching the back of his head. _

_"Well, because. Everyone needs somebody their age to converse with. And seeing as you're a girl…" Athrun trailed off. He really couldn't finish the rest of the sentence. What he wanted to say was, girls tend to get lonelier faster than guys. And that meant that she might have cracked, if she didn't have somebody her age to talk to about it. _

_"Weir not the same age." Cagalli said randomly. She went and sat down on his bed, next to the bag of clothes. _

_"You're two years older than me." She said matter of fact. Two whole years!! _

_"It's only two years, no big difference there." Athrun said, calmly resuming his task from earlier. Cagalli looked at him as if he was crazy. Out of what of tree, did this dumbass fall? _

_"Yeah." Athrun nodded. Okay, Athrun really needed to have his brain checked. When Cagalli even thought about looking at somebody, Maria or Uzumi would be there asking: _

_"Age? Name? Where do you live? And why are you after my daughter?!" It drove her crazy!! Nobody older than her age, she was allowed to talk to. Talk about obsessed parents. Well come to think about it, two years wasn't so bad after all. I wonder who the dumbass is now. _

_"Well."Cagalli said, coming to her defense. _

_"Where I come from, two years is a big difference." _

_"Well where I come from."Athrun said mocking Cagalli. (And she wasn't too happy about it either.) _

_"Two years is nothing. It doesn't even compare to one month's difference." _

_"Well duh!! Vampire aging differs from us humans." Athrun looked at her confused. Cagalli noticed her mistake, and looked away embarrassed. _

_"You mean-" Athrun started hastily, but Cagalli cut him off immediately. _

_"Sorry. I forgot there a minute." Athrun smiled at her mistake, knowingly. It took him about a whole full year to get use to calling himself a vampire. She'll get used to it … eventually. _

_"It's okay. It took me a while to get use to it to. Wasn't easy talking about other people-that were my friends- calling them Humans and myself Vampire." Cagalli nodded in an understanding way. There were so many things she didn't know yet. So many things, she still had to learn about being a Vampire. How was she going to keep up with all the changes? (Mentally and fiscally.)She just didn't know how. All she could do was hope for the best. Athrun continued packing, thinking about a few things. One thought that kept crossing his mind was Cagalli for some reason. It's only been two days since he's met her, yet he feels like it's been an eternity. And Athrun got a weird feeling, that saying goodbye to Cagalli, wasn't going to be as easy as he had hoped it would be. Cagalli kept following his every movement, thinking about how strange it was going to be, waking up tomorrow morning, and there'd be no Athrun at the breakfast table. An Idea came to Athrun, and he turned to his closet, getting one last thing from it. He ducked his hand, under a pile of random clothes, and took out a small black box engraved with golden markings. _

_"What's that?" Cagalli asked curious. She nearly fell off the bed from curiosity. (Too much leaning forward.) Athrun turned, holding the box in his hands. He smiled, coming closer. _

_"My mother gave this to me, when I was a child. She said that one day I might want to give this to somebody special." Cagalli frowned. Yeah the box was nice and all but … The golden markings really didn't look to good on the box. It was all faded, and if you didn't look closely, you wouldn't have seen the writing on it as well. _

_"A box? Your mother wants' you to give somebody special, a faded box?" Athrun chuckled at her disappointment. _

_"No silly. It's what's in the box that counts, not the box itself. Ugh, this thing is so ugly; my mother would kill herself, if I gave this to somebody!!" _

_"Oh." Athrun took the bag of clothes, and pushed them of the bed, while sitting in its place. He opened the box, to reveal a silver necklace, with a matching shell attached. The beauty of it, took Cagalli's breath away. Athrun proceeded to inspect the necklace at arm's length, seeing if it had gotten damaged throughout the years. But to his luck, the box had kept the necklace in a fair state, even to wear at the very moment. Athrun looked from the necklace to Cagalli. She saw this, and gave him a questioning look. _

_"Wait. You're not giving that to me, are you?" He leaned forward, pulling Cagalli closer by her waist. _

_"What-What are you doing?" Cagalli stammered. Athrun ignored her question, and proceeded to pull her closer. His head nearly pressed against her, made Cagalli blush furiously. She closed her eyes, to afraid of looking him in the eye. Those emerald green eyes … Man they had a way to lure you in. _

_"Here" He said. The sides of Athrun's hands, brushed against Cagalli's neck, as he was adjusting the necklace to fit just right. Cagalli immediately opened her eyes at the sudden contact, surprised at what he was doing. But she immediately regretted it as well, seeing as Athrun was still all up in her face. He smiled at the blush that had appeared, and said. _

_"I want you to have this necklace." He leaned in, pressing his forehead to hers, letting it rest there for a while. _

_"Me?" Cagalli asked. _

_"Yes. And you only." It was suddenly very hard for Athrun to breathe. He shouldn't have come so close to her. Cagalli looked down, eyeing the necklace in awe. Her head still slightly lingered on Athrun's, as she kept looking down. Movement from his hands caught her eye, and she immediately looked up at him. He dropped his hands, to the side of Cagalli's legs, leaning in closer. This made her move backward, leaning as far down as she could. When he came closer she moved down even more, blushing all the way to Tokyo and back. Her back finally reached the bed with a soft thud, and Cagalli asked with a nervous voice. _

_"Wh-What are you doing Athrun?" He stopped, to take a look at her face. Athrun couldn't take it anymore. The lust was slowly eating at him from the inside, clouding his thoughts. Cagalli's view from everything else was completely blocked by his body, towering over her petite one. _

_"Cagalli." Athrun sighed, while saying her name. _

_"I'm sorry, but I can't hold it back anymore." He lowered his head towards Cagalli's neck, and let it lingered there for a moment. Her neck immediately stiffened at the closeness, as well as her body. '_

_What is he doing?' Cagalli thought nervously. Athrun broke her thoughts, by slightly biting down on her neck. She gasped and out of pure instinct, tried to push him off. But it seemed Athrun had other plans for her. He wasn't going to let this opportunity slip right through his fingers. He's been yearning for Cagalli's blood since that day in the carriage. And now seemed like the perfect time to get some. It might be years since he sees her again, and Athrun couldn't wait that long. He took his hand, and pushed her back down. _

_"Relax." Athrun said calmly. "I'm not going to bite you completely, just a little, so I can get some blood." He breathed the words into her neck, and Cagalli looked away flushed, wishing she was somewhere else. Yeah sure she was happy, that Athrun was here with her. Cough- Almost on top of her-Cough. But this was very embarrassing. _

_'I'm twelve years old for god sakes!! I shouldn't be doing things like this at all!!' What if his mother walked in on them?! They wouldn't just send Athrun away, but Cagalli too. Most likely to a school of nuns, in the hopes that she'd follow the right path from there on out. As if the breakfast incident, wasn't enough for them to handle in one day. They definitely don't need a bleeding Cagalli as well. Athrun brought her attention back, by turning her head, leaving Cagalli no choice, but to look him directly in the eye. He gave her a reassuring look, telling her that everything was going to be alright, and that she should calm down. After a moment or two, Cagalli relaxed and met his gaze with the same amount of reassurance. He gave her the opportunity to feed of him, and now it was her time to return the favor. Athrun smiled one last time, before lowering his head to her neck. He bit down again, at the very same place, not wanting to leave any unnecessary marks on her. Cagalli winched at the pain his fangs made. Even though he didn't bite her completely to the core-what he could have done- It still hurt like hell. It's not like she had fangs sinking their way into her neck regularly. Cagalli clutched at his shoulder and closed her eyes, trying to forget about his fangs grazing at her neck, every time he licked the blood away. After a while, Athrun pulled back, kissing the remaining blood away with his mouth. When he was satisfied with his cleaning session, he placed one last kiss on Cagalli's cheek, before getting up. _

_"Thank you." Cagalli's eyes fluttered open, surprised at the kiss. She nodded in response, her vision a little blurry from the blood she lost just a minute ago. Athrun stretched out his arm for Cagalli to take. _

_"You think that you can stand up?" She looked at his hand, and took it. _

_"Yeah I'll be fine, thanks." He helped a wobbling Cagalli up from the bed, but still kept his arm around her, in case she fell over by mistake. While holding onto Cagalli, Athrun gazed out of the window. He saw Lucerne packing a few things into the awaiting carriage. It was almost time for him to leave, and his parents were probably waiting for him at the main entrance of the house. He turned sadly to Cagalli, looking her up and down. He wasn't ready to say goodbye, at least not yet. And strangely Cagalli felt the same way. In just a mere two days, she has developed such strong feelings for him, feelings she just couldn't explain. Other people would probably look at her, if she was crazy. I mean, what kind of person falls in love with somebody in just two days? When Athrun was sure Cagalli could stand all on her own, he let go of her, reluctantly. _

_"My parents are waiting for me at the front entrance." Athrun said, walking to the side of his bed, going to pick up his luggage. Cagalli's face saddened, at his words and unwillingly she gave him a nod, for an answer. He picked up the bag of clothes, and turned around to face her. _

_"I may not have known you for very long, but … I will definitely not forget you." _

_'I couldn't, even if I wanted to .You're just too difficult to let go of, for some reason.' _

_"I'd like for us to meet again someday." Athrun said. Cagalli smile as broadly as she could master, even though it pained her dearly to do so. It was so hard for her to keep that expression, knowing that she was slowly braking inside. Everyone she cared for has either had to leave her, or she had to leave them. First Uzumi, Maria and now Athrun had to leave as well. And now she was left alone, alone to deal with this creature inside of her. A creature that wasn't very easy to tame, a creature that craves blood. And now Cagalli had to deal with it all on her own. _

_"We'll see each other again, I know we will." She said. They stood there staring at each other, and after a while Athrun turned to the door. _

_"Goodbye … Cagalli." He left closing the door behind him, with a small thud. Cagalli turned her head away from the door, fighting back tears that were threatening to fall down her face. She immediately rushed to the open window, in hopes of getting one last glance of him, before he left. Gazing around, she finally spotted Athrun, walking to the carriage. He gave a small nod to Lucerne, and handed over his luggage. A small lump formed in Cagalli's throat, as she watched him climb into the carriage. Sounds of horse hooves filled the air, followed by cracking noises the wooden wheels of the Carriage made, when it progressed forward, bit by bit. And with a heavy heart, Cagalli watched as his transport disappeared into the woods, she had only came through just two days ago. She turned away from the window, sighing, getting a strange feeling, that things weren't going to be easy for her at all. _


	6. Hunter What?

_**Well here is the sixth chapter!! Vacation is almost over, and for some reason I had spare time today. So I decided to finish this one up, and post it for you people out there. I think the story is picking up, well i think so. (I really hope this isn't a bore.) And then Ijust want to thank everyone for the reviews!! They really inspire me. And please keep them coming!! Well for the story, I can tell you something bad is going to happen, and please don't kill me!! Enjoy!!!**_

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seed!! (I wish I did!!)GundamDisclaimer: I not own

_**Hunter what??**_

Four years in counting. Four long years it's been, since Athrun had left his home. Four long years Cagalli spent, learning more about her kind. Learning, about all the various abilities they all possessed individually as Vampires. The ability to hate or love, strength and agility, or speed and stamina. Their abilities, all fell under these categories. Cagalli was yet to learn her own. Leonor had once told her, that a Vampires ability, comes to you in the strangest of ways. And that not everybody discovers what this ability is, within their teenage years, like Athrun had done. She had said, that Cagalli would just have to be patient, and give it some time. Her ability will show its self one day. She should just keep an eye out for anything strange that is happening, and that might be it. When Athrun left, there was definitely a strange, awkward feeling in the atmosphere, between Leonor and Cagalli. But it blew over so fast, and the next thing you knew everything was back to normal again. Cagalli had her usual lessons at nine in the Library, and she also met this Kira guy Athrun had told her about that one time, at her first lesson. He had brown hair, and violet eyes. A kind and gentle smile, with dashing white teeth. And the sweetest personality, a person could ask for, when meeting someone for the first time. When they first met, Kira had smiled and introduced himself. His Surname as he had said, was Hibiki. Kira Hibiki. It didn't take long for them to get use to each other, and before you knew it, they seemed like two best friends, that had reunited, after not seeing each other for a long time.

"Cagalli! Hold still, and let me straighten your dress already!" A young beautiful woman, with long brown hair, and violet eyes, stood in her bedroom, trying to get her daughter to stand still. She gave an exhausted sigh at her daughters energy, so early in the morning. At this rate, they were never going to make the sale, which was going on at the market in town.

"Mommy, where are we going?" Cagalli asked, twirling around in circles, admiring her brand new dress, she got from her mother. The material was made of pure, brand new imported satin. A rich rosy color covered her petite body, with a glistering white ribbon around her waist. She also wore a matching pair of red shoes, with white lint attached on both shoes, in a knot manner.

"To the market silly, But if you don't stop twirling now, we'll never make it. Stand still!"

"Sorry mommy." Cagalli said, and stopped her movement. They were going into town that day, in hopes of buying fresh vegetables for the stew pot, which was waiting patiently in the kitchen. The sun had rose early that morning, with the temperatures just perfect for an outing. Cagalli's mother immediately pulled her out of the bed, she was sleeping in, and threw the dress over her head. And it wasn't long, until they were both ready to leave for town.

"Come now Cagalli lets go, we don't have all day." Cagalli's mother said. She took her hand, and they both walked down the porch steps, of their home. Their little country house consisted of three bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room. Outside- facing the front of the house- was a small river that flowed all the way into town, with a dirt road right next to it. It was the perfect living environment for raising children. Big oak trees, lush green grass everywhere, and a river filled with clean water. They continued walking down the porch steps, and kept a slow pace further on. Cagalli saw this as the perfect time to show off her dress, to her mother. She stepped forward, letting go of her mother's grip. Giggling hysterically, she ran around in circles, smiling broadly.

"Whee!! Look mommy!! Look at me!!" Her mother chuckled at her sweetness.

"Be careful, try not to trip in your dress."

"I won't!!" Cagalli said, continuing to run around in circles. She always had a way of making you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, without even knowing it. Cagalli's mother would feel so guilty, if she got hurt in any way. She knew for a fact, that Cagalli had already stolen her heart, from the very first moment she was born. Cagalli suddenly stopped laughing, and immediately ran to her mother, looking curious.

"There's a man coming mommy, look!!" She pointed at the opposite direction, that she was running in just a moment ago. Cagalli's mother followed her indication. And just like she had said, a young man with short grey hair and pale blue eyes, came walking in their direction, slowly. He had on a long brown coat, with a matching hat on his head, which allowed some of his grey hair to stick out from under. Cagalli's mother's body tensed all of the sudden, while the man came nearer. Just one step closer to them, was all that was needed for her, to recognize the man. Out of pure instinct, she pulled Cagalli behind her and hissed quietly.

"Don't speak one word to this man. Just keep quiet and stand behind me at all times!!" Cagalli nodded in response, her hands automatically clinging to the hem of her mother's dress. She didn't know why her mother became so defensive all of the sudden, and it made her feel uneasy. The man came to a holt in front of them, first eyeing Cagalli behind the dress, before turning his attention back to the woman.

"Via." He said to Cagalli's mother.

"Uzumi." Via responded, half forcing herself to spit this man's name out. Cagalli kept eyeing them both, as the conversation continued. Via glared at Uzumi, and he met her gaze equally. No hell was he going to feel intimidated by this vampire.

"I thought, I told you to stay away from this area." Via said coldly. You could even hear a little ounce of irritation, in her voice. This man had some nerve, coming so close to her home. Uzumi continued to speak, completely ignoring the statement that Via made.

"And so have I told you to stay away from the town. There's only one road from here that goes there, and you're on it."Uzumi's voice calmed a bit, and every now and then he'd glance at Cagalli. Via scowled at his response and her glared immediately in tensed. How dare he tell her where she may not go!!

She spat the next few words at him, and stood her ground.

"One day, you Humans will regret that you ever pushed my kind away, referring to us as demons. When in fact, I think your race fits the description better." That ought to crack a nerve. But Uzumi only smiled, barley caring what this woman had to say to him.

"The only monster I see here is you. Your race will slowly fall under the pressure of the Hunter association. We will not yield our attacks to the likes of Vampires!!"  
"Oh damn the Hunter association to hell!!" Via screamed all of the sudden. Uzumi could threaten them all day, but never will Via give in. Never!! Cagalli winched at the sudden outburst from her mother. Never had she seen her mother this enraged before. Scared at Via's raised voice, Cagalli took a step back, tears threatening to sting her eyes. Uzumi noticed this and proceeded to bend down and comfort her. He may have seemed like a cold and heartless person, but when it comes to children, Uzumi's heart can never say no. Via misinterpreted his movement and stopped him, by stepping in front of Cagalli as fast as she could.

"Don't you dare touch her!!" She snarled. Unaffected by her words, Uzumi stood up glancing at Cagalli, then with no emotion on his face he turned and walked in the direction he was coming from before. With his back facing them, Uzumi couldn't help but warn them one last time, before leaving for the last time.

"Just remember. Your little family isn't as save as you think it is." With that he vanished into the distance, walking as if nothing had even happened between them at all. Via glared one last time, before turning to her trembling daughter. She crouched down, wiping at her stained cheeks. With a stern voice, she started talking, looking concerned at the same time. Via feared that things weren't going to be the same anymore.

"Now Cagalli, listen to me and listen well." Via said sternly, looking Cagalli straight in the eye. This was a matter of their most importance. And now was **not**the time to say things like:

"Everything will be all right, and you'll be fine now." No, not when matters were the complete opposite.

"Listen to me closely. You are not to go anywhere without your brother, father, or me. Am I making myself perfectly clear?" Cagalli nodded in response, sniffing her runny nose at the same time.

"I'm scared mommy. What does that ugly man want with us?" Via's face softened at Cagalli's words and without a word she pulled her close, embracing her daughter warmly.

"Don't worry Cagalli. I will never let that man hurt you. Not you or your Bother." From that day on Via vowed to protect her family at all costs. No matter what it took, the Hunter association would never get the chance break them apart.

Never.

"I love you Cagalli." Via whispered slowly.

"You just remember that. Just that."

"I know, I know."

(Page line)

A restless Cagalli stirred in her bed, for the millionth time that morning.

"Via." She moaned, turning to her side again. Her eyebrows formed a frown, while the moaning only increased.

"Vi-Via, VIA!!" Screaming herself awake, Cagalli bolted up in bed, sweat pricking her skin, chest heaving up and down, and eyes wide awake from pure shock.

'_It's-it's, that woman again. I dreamt about her again. Who is she?!' _Clutching at her head, Cagalli moaned out loud.

"Ah!! Get out of my head!!"

'_Just get out. Get out, get out!!' _What are these dreams of her?! In the four years that have already passed, Cagalli's been having these strange dreams more frequently. Every time she had one, that woman would just appear out of nowhere, and act like her mother. Who she was, Cagalli didn't know at all. But finally, after so many dreams, this woman's name was revealed to her.

Via.

But Via who? Numerous times, Cagalli had tried to talk to Leonor about these dreams. But in the end she just brushed them off as just that. Dreams, and nothing more. Even though they seemed so real to her-like a memory of something that happened many years ago- she just had to brush it off as nothing. Cagalli gave an frustrated sighed, and decided to let go of her head.

'_But a memory of what? My past maybe? No that can't be. I grew up with Uzumi and Maria, their my parents.' _Even though that thought sounded convincing to Cagalli, the sickening feeling in her gut, told her otherwise for some reason.

'_And Uzumi __**was **__there!! The woman you saw, was only made up in your mind_. She just had to be…'

"Agh!! This is so messed up!!" It was just a dream, a simple dream. Uzumi was there, he was glar- Wait a minute. Realization struck Cagalli smack on her forehead, nearly throwing her off balance.

'_Uzumi may have been in my dream, but he seemed younger in a way. And instead of being the one protecting me, that woman Via was. Uzumi was the one on the other side of the field, not her.' _It just had to be a memory. No one in their right mind, could dream something of that detail, and remember it all as well. But if Uzumi was on the other side of that field, and this dream was really a long forgotten memory, then that meant …

"Uzumi may not be my real father at all." Shaking her head, Cagalli protested at the thought.

"No, that can't be, don't be ridicules Cagalli. Weir talking about Uzumi and Maria here, they'd never keep something like that from you." Or would they? Cagalli frowned, while getting irritated all over again. The more she thought about the possibility, the more confused she just got. First there was the burning country house, the woman-apparently now called Via- who sent her away, the other dreams, where Cagalli only saw glimpses of Via's face now and then. And now this dream. A dream so real, almost looking like a memory playing before your eyes again. Deciding to just drop the issue as usual, Cagalli stretched getting out of bed, walking to her window.

The short blond hair everyone knew, no longer existed. Instead in its place, were long wavy hair, flowing down all the way to her waist. It was amazing how fast her body progressed in just four years. No longer was Cagalli short, but medium height. Her body grew into a young woman's body, and she had all the right curves, at all the right places. Cagalli knew vampires were always pretty, and had this beauty radiating off of them. But to see herself change so abruptly, right before her very own eyes, just overwhelmed her.

To know she was actually turning into something worth looking… She knew she was beautiful, but never bragged about it. What was the point in that? In fact she was usually trying to hide it most of the time. All the extra attention only made her feel even more uneasy. With one last glance outside, Cagalli turned towards her closet. Outside the weather was a bit misty, and damp. Her guess was it rained last night, but she couldn't be too sure about that. Due to the fact, that she slept like a rock last night. (Tanks to her stupid dream that is.) Pulling off her white night gown, Cagalli slipped on a black knee length dress, followed by matching black leather shoes. Rummaging further into her closet, she pulled out a medium sized head scarf, and proceeded to place it over her head.

"There, that should about do it." She said. The all black outfit, should be just what she needs to keep her from being seen by peering eyes. Cagalli needed time to clear her mind for a while, and if sneaking out-to take a stroll- was the only solution, then that was what she was going to do. If Leonor or Patrick were to found out about this in any way, then trouble would definitely be in the air for her. But that was a chance she was willing to take. Anything to clear her mind of these bothersome dreams, or maybe memories for that matter. Clutching her scarf tightly, Cagalli walked out of her room and down the hall. Silently trotting, she came to an holt a few meters from the main entrance door. Quickly looking around, she checked for any moving objects. After a moment or two-and nothing seemed to move- Cagalli sighed relieved, and quickly ran to the door. Opening it and closing it behind her, she was down the few stone steps in a flash. And within minutes, her figure completely disappeared into the mist, on her way for a little trip into town.

Light from the street lamps flickered every now and then, from the slight breeze that was filling the air around town. Some of the mist may have cleared already, but it was still a little dark out. The streets were empty as well. Not that Cagalli expected anything else, seeing as the sun was still to rise. In a way the silence creped her out, but it was all the more reason for her to clear her mind. The fresh air did her good, and already Cagalli felt at ease about what happened this morning. Speaking softly to herself –not wanting to wake anyone from their sleep-she kept a slow pace.

"All I have to do is find a way to contact Maria or Uzumi, and then just pop the big question." That way she'll get it all over with. I mean, how hard can it be? A small chuckle escaped her mouth and almost immediately she clasped a hand to her face, in hopes to stifle the sound. Cagalli turned, listening carefully, trying to hear for any sound that may have indicated that somebody was awake at that time. One positive thing about being a vampire, was that they had excellent hearing abilities. The slightest sound could be picked up by their ears, even if the person was like ten meters away. Cagalli frowned without even knowing it.

'_Come to think about it. How did Leonor and Patrick not know I was sneaking out?'_Strange, very strange. After a moment of listening, she continued walking forward, positive that no one was around. A sudden chill went down her spine, and somehow it felt like somebody was eyeing her from afar. Cagalli clutched at her head scarf and proceeded to walk down the stone paved street. Maybe coming for a quick stroll, wasn't such a good idea after all.

Something just felt wrong here. The atmosphere was tense, and thick for some reason. Out of nowhere a disgusting smell of something that was busy rotting, washed over her body. The horrifying scent, was agony for her sensitive nose. Lifting her head to get a better sniff of the scent, Cagalli immediately regretted that choice of movement. Her stomach swirled and out of pure reaction, she covered her mouth, preventing herself from hurling her guts out. Trying to identify the scent was a big mistake. The scent just didn't smell right at all. From what Cagalli could tell, (In this case, smell.) the scent had a mixture of old blood. Daring to take another sniff, Cagalli managed to identified the rest of the scent. It smelled like something rotten.

Old blood and something rotten.

But what? The stench was to disgusting, to have been the blood of a mere animal, that must have died a few weeks ago. Cagalli had come across many dead animals, but never had they smelled like this before.

No.

This was definitely not an animal. Her stomach swirled one last time, before settling its feud with the smell. Cagalli was all to grateful. Hurling was the last thing she wanted to do now. Scraping all her strengths together, she sped off in the direction of the smell. Something was off, very off. The scent just didn't smell right. While running, wooden doors flashed in her view. Every now and then Cagalli would stop at a back street, checking to see if anything was out of the ordinary, or if the smell was coming from there.

But no.

The scent had her running again, leading her all the way to the other side of town. A river came into view, while Cagalli exited the town's main entrance. Going over the river was a stone bridge, afterward leading people with a dirt road, into the woods ahead. The same woods Cagalli had come out of just minutes ago. Sniffing again for the scent, it immediately increased by a mile. She was close. Very close. A small noise brought her attention down a few meters from where she was standing, and almost immediately she saw a dark patch lying in the grass. A sickening feeling grew in her stomach, and without hesitation she sped off in its direction.

The scent grew stronger, even to a point where Cagalli couldn't take it anymore. It was driving her crazy. Another chill went down her spine, while she came closer to the patch. Soon enough the dark patch revealed to be but a mere small girl, six to maybe eight years of age. Long curly red hair, pale white skin, and body drenched in her own blood. Cagalli's movements stopped dead in their tracks, while she tried to stifle a gasp.

But she failed miserably.

'_She's dead.' _

"No." Hastily crouching down Cagalli's hands trembled, while slightly touching the girls blooded face.

"Who-Who could do such a thing to a girl?"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A manly voice flowed from the core of the misty area, and within seconds a young man with pitch black hair, and ruby red eyes appeared a few meters from Cagalli. He wore a long black leather coat, with matching knee length boots. In his hand were a silver pistol, and with shocked eyes Cagalli watched as the said object was pointed at her. Slowly she got to her feet and glared at the boy the best she could. She noted that at his waist a brown belt hang loosely, and another silver pistol glistered proudly, with a batch of bullets right next to it, to top it all off.

"Thought they weren't selling guns to the public."Cagalli said smugly, pointing at his pistol.

"Where'd you get that, the Black Market?" A sick smile crossed his entire face, and with some nod from his head he continued.

"Oh you'll find that **we **are not the public girl." Laughter came from every corner, and Cagalli nervously glanced around, trying to pinpoint where the noise was coming from. Another person slowly appeared through the mist, at his side someone else accompanied him as well. They both wore the same attire as the previous guy with the black hair. But the first person who appeared from the mist, had short green curly hair, and oak brown eyes filled with so much hatred.

'_But for what?' _

The second person had long lifeless blond hair, and icy grey eyes to go with it. The glares they gave her were intense. Pure hatred filled the air everywhere. Cagalli slightly stiffened, and desperately started thinking of a plan. An idea came to her, and it was simple. If she really wanted to live, she'd have to stall time, and keep them conversing for a while. Maybe then somebody would notice those funny looking things at their waist, and a red light might pop up somewhere.

'_Oh jeez, let this please work in my favor for once!' Cagalli pleaded. _

"Who are you?!!" She spat bravely. The first guy- who appeared through the mist- snapped back, clearly irritated that she was still alive.

"Why the hell should we answer to your question!! You should know, don't fool around with us!!"

"Shut it Nicol." They guy with black hair cut him off, eyeing Cagalli from head to toe. She glared at him in return, and spat out coldly.

"What?"

"But Shinn-" Nicole argued.

"I said shut it!! We don't have time to converse with a vile monster." Cagalli's eyes widened in shock, and slowly she stepped backward.

'_He-He knows what I' am?!" _She thought nervously_. _The guy continued talking, while for some reason reloading his gun. He glanced at the girl on the floor, and nodded his head.

"You see, fate unfortunately caught up with poor old Madeline. And well, you weren't really on today's list, but who can say no to a little more fun." His face turned into a full glare, filled with disgust. And in one swift movement, his gun was pressed against Cagalli's skull.

"Now." Shinn Snarled.

"You die Vampire!"

_Bang_

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Well that's a wrap for now. See you next time!! And In the next chapter some people are coming back, and new characters will be introduced(Like now.) R&R Please Hope You like!!

And keep an eye out for a one shot that I'm going to post sometime soon this week. Name: Lover's quarrel with a pinch of Milo


	7. Having you near

**Man I have been trying to get this chapter up at least 2 days ago, but FF kept giving me errors, saying that my file was corrupt. But anyway, lets hope that doesn't happen again next time. Things are going to end soon, or maybe not... I'm still not sure if it will happen within the next three chapters. Knowing me, It probably won't. (Still got a few things to reveal., that are probably very obvious.) So anyway... Enjoy, and No I do not own GS. (Been a long time since I have said that hu?) **

**Chapter 7: Having you near. **

The sound of the bullet echoed through the misty area. Birds that were hidden in the bushes near the river, suddenly flew out hysterically. While flying off in the distance, they made sickening chirping sounds with their beak. Almost like they were mocking you for being so stupid, as to think you'd actually live through this. The movement that Shinn made weir so sudden, that Cagalli didn't really see it coming. They were talking, and her so called 'plan' seemed to work. That was until Shinn announced that he knew what she was, and completely took her off guard. After the bullet was released from the pistol, Cagalli squirted her eyes, waiting, preparing for the pain to pierce through her skin, and shoot all over her entire body. Her hands immediately went to her head, and almost automatically she bended over in a crouch position.

Nothing.

'_Wha-' _Slowly she opened her eyes, and started feeling around for any open wounds.

'_I'm not dead, but how can that be? The shot-'_Quickly Cagalli glanced to where Shinn had stood, wandering why she didn't feel any impact at all. And with shocked eyes, she watched as the pistol he held, fell to the ground with a thud. Blood flowed from his hand- and with one glance- you could see a hole going right through his flesh. Shinn stepped back stunned at what just happened with him, and Nicol went into a defense stance, drawing his pistol forward.

"Shinn, looks like we got Company." He said calmly. On full alert he scanned the area for any movement, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

'_This damn mist is getting on my nerves.'_ Nicole thought irritated.

'_I can't see a thing at all. Weir like sitting ducks out here. If we don't get moving now, weir all going to die.'_

"Shinn." Nicole finally spoke up again.

"The enemy's got a full view of us. That wasn't a lousy shot, the bullet was intended to pierce through your hand. " Shinn glared, while massaging his blooded hand and nodded in return.

"Yeah, I kind of noticed that." He turned to the guy with blond hair and said smugly.

"Rei, you know what to do." Rei nodded his head and effortlessly grabbed Cagalli's hand, pinning them behind her back, hard. She gasped at the sudden pain, and tried to push him backward. Rei stood his ground, at her futile movements.

"Let go off me, you freak!!" She hissed, angrily.

'_I'm not the freak here, you are.'_Rei thought calmly.

"The comment was a little uncalled for, missy." He drew her arms back even more, putting an immense amount of pain into her back. A disgusting scream of soreness escaped her mouth, while tears threatened to flow down her face.

"AAAWWWWHHHH!!"

'_Bang.'_Another shot flew through the air, landing right in front of Cagalli and Rei. Shinn and Nicol turned, gun at the ready, pointed in the direction the bullet came from. Cagalli quickly went silent, and swallowed the pain down. Silently she begged that whoever were shooting those so called 'lousy shots' were on her side.

"You know, It's bad manners to treat a beautiful lady like that. I know I'd never do that." Shinn's grip on the pistol tightened, and slowly he squinted his eyes to get a even better view in front of him. It's time like these that he actually wished he had the abilities of a vampire.

'_Their eyesight are so more superior towards our own, and to think they're the ones we've been fighting all these years, __**and **__we've been standing our ground.' _Silently they all waited, for the enemy to unmask themselves. Every second that ticked by, felt like agony for Cagalli. Why couldn't they just hurry up and get a move on??!! Three figures appeared from the mist, each holding a pistol at hand. They all wore long pure white coats, with black leather shorts, and matching white shirts tucked in neatly under their pants. The one person in the middle, wore an expression of irritation and Cagalli easily recognized that patch of dark blue hair anywhere.

"Athrun!!" He smiled at her recognition and stood still, pointing the gun at Rei. Athrun had completely dropped the boyish look, only to be replaced by the look of an attractive young man. His emerald eyes seemed even more striking than before, covered in thick black lashes. From the looks of it, he had a rather strong build body, and the same could be said about the others as well. When their eyes locked, Cagalli blushed at his piercing stare. It felt almost like he could tell everything there was too be said about her, just by glancing at her face.

'_He must have improved his ability over the years.'_From the looks of it a lot, Cagalli thought. The person to Athrun's right spoke up, clearly bored to death, wearing an expression of irritation as well.

"Look." He sighed.

"I know it's reunion time and all, and for things like confessing your undying love for her. But could we like get a move on, I'm tired and really want to go to sleep. As in **now**." Cagalli scoffed at his remark, and Athrun looked away, clearly embarrassed. He wasn't even thinking about doing anything like that at all. From where the guy was standing, Cagalli could tell he had a medium sized scare crossing from under his left eye going all the way up to the middle of his forehead. He had perfectly combed silver ear length hair and pure light blue eyes. What she couldn't take, was that permanent expression he wore all the time. Boredom and definitely irritation. And then those eyes, they had some frightening effects to them in a way.

'_He can't possibly be here to help rescue me, could he? No way, not with that look.' _She thought, confused at the time.

'_He just looks to scary…'_Athrun came a little closer and calmly spoke, gun still pointed at Shinn again.

"If you don't let her go, then I guess you could say goodbye to your other hand as well."

"Pretty big word, for somebody who's not got the upper hand." Shinn said.

'_Not having the upper hand hu?' _Athrun thought smugly. This guy needed to take a rain check. He was definitely too cocky for his own good.

"How's that?" Athrun asked, playing dumb.

"I'm not the one with a blooded hand, and members who couldn't even detect that there were Vampires in the area."

Shinn grunted at his remark, while Nicol and Rei gave each other nervous glances.

"So we got a little distracted, is that such a crime." Cagalli couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could he possibly speak so calmly, about what he just did?! Already fuming inside, she spat out angrily cutting into their conversation.

"Distracted?!" She said loudly.

"You killed a little girl, and then I seemed to be next just 'cause I was near her dead body for a few seconds!!" The sudden outburst, turned everyone's attention towards her. Athrun's eyebrow lifted at her blunt comment. Never had he thought she was this bold, to speak her mind.

'_They were right, you really did change-'_Athrun thought, proudly. Cagalli continued ranting on, while making sure she had everyone's attention.

"This is all just a game for you!! -"

"Shut it." Rei said.

"No!!"

'_I'm sorry Athrun, but I have to do this.' _Cagalli became restless in his arms and he tried to restrain her, by putting more pressure into her back. She gasped at the added pain, but quickly regained her composure. In one split second, she lifted her foot and without warning stomped it down on her beholders boots. Rei cringed at the pain and for just one second he dropped his guard, slightly letting go of her arms.

'_Big mistake.'_She thought successfully. Taking the open window as a change to get loose from his grip, she threw her head back, butting him right in the middle of his skull. Rei staggered backwards, clutching at his head. He cursed at the blood, that came flowing down his face. This was not what he really wanted, at all. Throbbing pain also appeared behind Cagalli's head, where she had butted him.

'_Idiotic girl, you don't know what you just did.' _He thought.

"You're really starting to test my patience girl." Rei said warningly. Cagalli couldn't care less what he had to say to her. She had other problems to worry about. The movement she made, only increased the pain in her head, and her vision started to blur a little as well. Everyone finally understanding what just happened, went into attack mode. Nicol glared and drew his pistol towards Cagalli, intending to shoot her down. Athrun saw this, and quickly lunged forward, attempting to stop him. But he managed to pull the trigger in time, only then falling over stomach first.

'_Bang'_

"No, Cagalli watch out!!" Athrun screamed. Without hesitation he pinned Nicol down to the ground, looking back up again. Cagalli turned at her name, her vision still a little blurry. For a split second, she saw the bullet before it pierced into her flesh. But she wasn't fast enough to dodge it.

"Awwwhhh!!" she screamed. The pain was intense and caused her breaths to come out unstable.

'_Shit they got me.'_ She thought, while falling down to the ground. She clutched at the wound that was grazing her shoulder, and attempted to speak.

"A-Asshole." Nicol smiled inwardly; at least he got her shoulder for that matter.

"Yzack!!" Athrun demanded.

"Knock her out now."

'_Knock me out?'_Cagalli thought, looking up.

'_W-What for?_' The guy with silver hair nodded and swiftly ran forward. Rei stiffened, and aimed at the oncoming danger.

"Don't think you'll get her that easily!!"

"Who said I was after her?" Yzack asked, looking bored all over again. He side stepped, taking Rei off guard, stopping right next t him, gun at the ready.

Rei glared and threw a punch at him, trying to take him down. Yzack laughed inwardly, enjoying himself too much.

'_This guy's a joke.'_ He thought, stepping away from the punch.

'_Do you really think a mere hit to the face is going to stop me?' _He took one arm of Rei and threw him over his shoulder, clearly showing who the superior one was. Shinn gasped, and then glared at what was happening.

'_This isn't good, we need to get out of here.' He looked at Athrun, who was struggling to keep Nicol down. _

'_If I can just get one of them…' _Slowly he brought the pistol upward and aimed.

'_Especially him-'_

"_Ah-ha -ah. I don't think so." _Shinn stiffened, while getting completely furious. Again with somebody interrupting him!! A pistol was neatly pressed at the side of his head. He looked at the man that was holding it, irritated as well. It was the third guy, who came out of the mist with Athrun and Yzack. He had short blond curly hair, and a fairly well tanned skin. His body toned from top to bottom, had perfectly round formed violet eyes to go with it.

"Times up. You had your fun, no go." He said, showing no emotion at all. Shinn sighed, and contemplated his situation. Looking around, nothing but failure met him.

'_Clearly we have lost this fight. I guess-'_Swallowing his pride, he stepped back lowering his gun.

"Fine, we'll fall back." He spat, not liking this at all. He spoke up, looking at his comrades.

"Rei, Nicole, let's go. Weir done her for today." Rei nodded, completely understanding the situation they were in. He stood up, and proceeded to walk away slowly. Athrun loosened his grip, giving Nicol the chance to get up as well.

They both glared at each other, while Nicole stepped forward.

"Next time I'll get you both. That's for sure."

"Don't think I'll let you off that easily as well. Pinning you to the ground, what a joke."

"Oh I'll-"

"Let's move Nicole!!" Shinn shouted, cutting both their threats for each other short. Nicol gave one last glance towards him, before deciding to walk off. And just as easily as they were there, they had disappeared. Athrun sighed, and relaxed a bit. One problem was gone, and now he only had one left to take care of. He turned to face Cagalli. She was still on the ground clutching at her shoulder. Coming closer, he crouched down, slightly touching her wound.

"Hey." He smiled.

She tried to meet his greeting equally, but failed. The pain was to overpowering. No one could possibly smile, while a bullet was stuck inside of them.

"H-Hey." She breathed, looking up at him.

Athrun look concerned, and turned his head back.

"Dearka, Yzack, get the carriage ready, while I clean up here." They both nodded and walked off, understanding what he meant. Cagalli gave a questionable look.

"What do you mean clean up?" She asked.

"I'm going to have to clean your wound, and get the bullet out. Or else you're going to bleed to death." Cagalli nodded and slumped down a little.

"I understand. Do whatever is needed to get it out. The pain is kind of getting to me."

"Alright." She wanted the pain to stop badly, it was awful. Athrun slowly snaked a hand around her waist and brought her closer to him. Cagalli blushed, wondering what he was up to. He didn't even have any tools with him. How was he going to get her wound cleaned?

"I don't understand-"

"You trust me, don' you?" He cut her off, looking into her eyes. It felt like years since he's seen them so up close. Cagalli stretched her mind for an answer, but got none. Having him hold her so close after four years of never seeing him, overwhelmed her deeply.

"I- Yes. Of course I do Athrun." He smiled, glad that she hadn't stopped trusting in him.

"Then relax your muscles, and lie back down." She did as he instructed, and wondered what he was going to do next. Athrun placed an arm on each side of her head, while bending down to her wound. She stiffened a little.

"I told you relax. Look this is the first time for me as well, I'm kind of stressing here." Cagalli's eyes widened, and she started to panic.

"Your first time!? Then you shouldn't even be attempting to do whatever it is your about to do!!"

Athrun chuckled at her moment.

"Either this or your dead. I think the answer is very clear for us."

"Hey but-"He cut her off, biting down on her wound, and attempting to pull the bullet out.

"Awww!! Dammit!!" She shot back at him. She got flustered again, at having him so close to her. It felt weird and painful at the same time to have let him bite her wound again. She closed her eyes, and held on to his back tightly. Her breaths came out less and less, as the pain increased. She could almost feel the bullet moving upward, and upward.

"Awwww!!"

"Got it…" Athrun said, while pulling away. He wiped the remaining blood away from his face, and threw the bullet one side. Cagalli glanced up at him, looking very pale.

"Let's get you to the Carriage." He said, pulling her upper body forward. He placed a hand underneath her legs, and lifted her up. She wanted to hug him with all her might, and hold on forever, but her muscles were just too tired. But none the less, she was glad he was holding her in his arms. So many memories came back to her, and she smiled inwardly at them. He slowly started walking, not wanting to hurt her bruised shoulder even more, now and then glancing down at her face.

'_I remember them to, Cagalli.'_ He thought happily. In fact, those memories he would never want to forget. They were the happiest ones of his life that he had.

If only she knew. Cagalli closed her eyes, resting a bit. She was happy, and with that thought she fell asleep from all the excitement. For once having a pleasant dream instead.

* * *

**Well how was it? To boring? To little detail? Please let me know through a review...**

(All you silent readers out there, thanks for also reading.)


	8. Wake up dear, to reality

**So here is Chapter eight. Someone pointed out, I'm taking too long to post and I want to say sorry about that. See at the end of each month is when I can post everything I want to post, and then I have to wait till the next one. Sorry… But back to the story. Something happens in this chap and I hope you enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own GS/GSD**

**Please R&R **

* * *

**Chapter 8: Wake up dear… To reality **

The air felt dry and lifeless on her pale skin. Voices could be heard a few meters from her, but she couldn't identify anyone of them.

"Do you think she'll be alright?"

"It's hard to say, but the swelling has lowered and her vital signs seem to be alright. All and all, I have hope for her." Vital signs? Will she be alright? From what? The first voice spoke again, sounding concerned and tired of something.

"Thank you, we appreciate your services." Bit by bit she came to, registering a few things around her. Everything became clearer. For instance the light breeze that came through an open window, cooling her aching body from its pain. The soft velvet linen covering her body, all the way up to her arms.

"Will that be all?" The second voice asked, wanting to leave.

"Yes, you can go." That voice... What happened to her? She remembered there was a girl lying on the ground. Then-

'_And now Vampire you die!' _She got shot! Wait a minute, Athrun! She tried to open her eyes, but her body felt too weak to respond to her commands. Her mere efforts, only made her face turn into a full out frown. Athrun noticed and turned away from the person, crouching down next to her.

"Cagalli?" He asked, hoping she'd respond.

"Cagalli, If you can hear me now, I want you to open your eyes." Slightly he touched her cheek, wanting her to know that he was indeed there and that this was not some illusion. Cagalli felt the heat emitting off of his hand and slowly willed her eyes open. When she finally had them opened, nothing but big round concerned emerald eyes were staring back down at her. Looking at him now, it finally registered how much she had really missed his innocent face.

"Hey," She said meekly. It took a lot of effort out of her, just to utter one word. The bullet had made her immune system weak, therefore causing her to be weak as well. Her shoulder, from the look of it was bandaged, and she wore a light night gown over it. How she had gotten it on, she was rather not going to ask. Looking around as well, Cagalli saw that she was back in her room at Lenore's house. She figured that she was brought back through the carriage, then undressed, gotten fixed up, and then she woke up here in the room. The second person cleared his throat, wanting to get both of their attention.

"If that is all, then I must take my leave." Athrun nodded and stood walking to the door, leading the Doctor out.

"Again," He said getting irritated that the Doctor hadn't left yet,

"Of course and thank you. You can leave now." The Doctor followed hot at his heals, but stopped, turning around to flash one perfect white smile.

"Feel better soon child. You're definitely going to need the energy for what is to come." Cagalli frowned at his words. For what is to come? What is he talking about?

"Excuse me?" She asked confused. The Doctor just smiled one last time before leaving them for good.

"You're bound to find out sooner or later. Good day Miss Athha."

"Um, goodbye?" Athrun closed the door, letting his hand linger on the handle for a while. Things were turning out to be much more complicated than he thought. She was taking things so calmly. Where's the crying of frustration? The screaming out loud, the mixed emotions of what happened at the river. She didn't do anything of those. Just a simple 'hey'. Cagalli shifted a little on her bed, trying to become more comfortable. The bandages were starting to feel uncomfortably tight to her skin. Athrun was still standing at the door, back faced to her. She wondered what he was doing and asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Something the matter, what's wrong?" He sighed and turned around, looking at her disbelievingly.

'_Something the matter?! Uh, yes!!'_ he thought getting frustrated.

"Cagalli you got shot and you're asking **me** what the matter is?" She took everything too calmly for his liking.

"Well," She started coolly.

"What do you want me to say?" What was he getting at, and why the sudden change of mood? Athrun seemed stressed, and massaged his templates, trying to calm himself.

"I don't know." He argued back.

"You scared the hell out of me Cagalli. You really gave me a fright back there." Cagalli blinked in astonishment. He was frightened for her part?-

"When that bullet hit your shoulder, I thought you were going to die." Her faced softened at his kind comment. She was glad to hear those words coming out of his mouth, it gave her some assurance that he did care about her. Athrun came closer, stopping at her bed.

"What if something was to happen-"

"Athrun. Athrun," Cagalli said, leaning over to touch his cheek.

"You worry too much. I'm fine." She said, trying to reassure him. The look he gave her, definitely said I-Don't-Think-So. Cagalli pulled her hand away, but Athrun stopped her, bringing it back to his face and leaning into it. She stared at him wide eyed. He managed a weak smile, wondering about a few things. How was he going to break the news to her? Did she have a life worth living, before he showed up again? Was it going to shatter once she knew? Was she going to be mad at him for the rest of her life, once he tells her? Not that any of what happened was his fault, but if only he knew at that time…

He could have told her, and let her make the decision herself. After a moment of silence he gave in to his thoughts, and managed to look her in the eye. Cagalli was overwhelmed at his actions and curious as well. Thousands of questions were burning inside her to be asked, but one in particular stood out.

'_Does he even love me?'_ She thought, badly wanting it to be so. He carried her without hesitation, to the carriage. He's been nice to her all the time -taking into account- here and there doing something embarrassing. And then there was also the whole blood thing. He gave her blood, and just as easily took some away from her. He must have been feeling some kind of emotion towards her, to have done all those things. That, or he's just really –really nice.

'_I don't hope it was just kindness-' _

"Cagalli." Athrun started, trying to get her attention back to him.

"What's wrong?"He squeezed her hand even tighter, while speaking soft and low.

"I can't afford to let you get hurt anymore than you already have-" She sighed at his stubbornness, and pulled her hand away from his face, while still giving him the choice to hold on to it if he liked.

"Athrun." she stated, eying his face closely. His brows frowned a little, and when he met her gaze, he looked away down to her linen. Almost like he was caught doing something he wasn't supposed to be considering at all. Well her guess was thinking for that matter.

"I'm fine," She stated again, "there's nothing to worry about-"

"No see, that's where you're wrong. You're not understanding anything I'm saying to you at all." He looked up and bit his under lip, taking in every emotion that flashed over her face. He wanted to be exactly sure, that she was really fine, like she had said. He sighed, and gave up, leaning his head on hers.

"I-If I let my fiancé get hurt more than what is necessary, I'll be deemed an unworthy husband to you…"

'_Huh?'_

Athrun leaned in further, catching her of guard. With surprised eyes Cagalli stared at his face coming closer- their noses practically touching- he placed a hand on her lower back, holding her in place. With their faces only inches apart, he glanced up at her eyes, almost looking uncertain. Cagalli blushed at his intense stare and quickly turned her head wanting to avert his gaze. But he caught her chin and brought it back to him, causing her look at him again.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, before capturing her lips with his and pulling her closer to his body.

'_F-Fiancé? What's going on?!'_Cagalli thought and tried to pull away, but the grip he had on was just too strong.

(Page line)

Dearka lazily sat on a brown double leathered couch, legs propped up on a coffee table, and arms loosely hanging to his side. He had a random brown hat placed over his head, covering most of his fed up expression. He started drawing circles with his fingers, onto the brown leather of the couch now and then sighing. If he counted correctly, it's been almost an hour now since he had sat on that particular couch. He moaned, throwing his hands in the air.

"Man, what's Athrun taking so long?!" A frustrated sigh came from the other side of the living room. Yzack stood with his back leaning on the wall; arms folded in front of his chest and repeatedly tapped his foot over and over again. The wooden floor cracked a little under the pressure he made. He shook his head disbelievingly and shouted aloud.

"How should I know dammit?!" Clearly he was fed up with waiting so long as well.

He continued turning his head to the side, glaring at nothing in particular.

"The guys probably giving some kind of confession now."

"Really?" Dearka asked, sitting up a little and taking the hat off his face. He lifted his eyebrow, molding everything over in his head.

'_Athrun and confessions…' _Dearka thought with a smirk forming on his chuckled at the thought of Athrun declaring his undying love for the girl they just saved. Now that was something he had to see.

Yzack noted the bookshelf on the other side of the living room and crossed over the floor past Dearka. Searching through the many titles, he found a book that mildly looked interesting.

"Well," He started again, hastily flipping through a few pages, "what else is he supposed to be doing in there?"

"I don't know." Dearka mumbled, while snuggling back into the couch again. He placed the hat onto his forehead and proceeded to talk through it.

"Think he's telling her about the engagement thing?" Dearka asked. Yzack shrugged his shoulders and replaced the previous book with another one and started flipping through it as well.

"Don't know. Probably, probably not." Athrun had to do it eventually, and now seemed a better time than any other for Yzack. A snickering sound came from the couch, and Yzack cocked his head to the side, raising an eyebrow.

"Bet you he kissed her." Dearka snickered again, shaking a little while doing so. Yzack remain silent continuing to read the book he held and just shook his head, while a hand went out and whacked the hat right off of Dearka's face.

"Hey, what the!-"Dearka flinched at the sudden exposed light, blinking a few times up at the person who had just done something so boldly.

"Oh yeah? And how much would that be?" Athrun asked, walking irritated around the couch to sit down. Dearka had some real guts to talk about him in that way, when he wasn't around to hear it. Surprised, Dearka straightened himself up and answered, choosing his word wisely.

"Well," He smiled carefully, watching as Athrun plopped himself down on the couch, "the way I know you, you won't just waste time. You'll get straight to the point." Athrun smiled inwardly. The guy knew him all too well.

"Yeah whatever psychic guy." Athrun said, pushing Dearka's head away from him. He really needed to get away from these people; they were slowly starting to be able to read him like an open book. And it made him slightly uncomfortable to know that they had guessed so correctly. Well Dearka for the most part. Yzack placed the book held, back in its place and proceeded to sit down as well.

"Well you sure took your sweet time." He said, walking to stand in front of his blue haired friend.

"Well what do you expect?"Athrun said, letting his head hang backward.

"I had to explain the whole bonding ritual to her." He moaned, while saying the next few words.

"Mom's so pissed off at me."

Dearka looked at him supportively.

"No offence dude, but part of this whole fiasco is kind of your fault." Athrun nodded his head, understanding perfectly. If only they had educated him of this earlier. That biting another vampire means forming a bond with them. And that leaving your mark on that persons neck, is a sign of that bond. He sighed, and looked up at the ceiling. Cagalli's mark she left was still slightly visible in his neck, even after all these years.

"She doesn't hate me for it and yes I'm surprised at that. But what worries me, is that she didn't even know about it after I left."

"And then there's the fact," Yzack stated as well, adding to all the pressure that already laid on Athrun's shoulder's, " that the bond can't be broken, no matter what the reason was for it to have been made in the first place ."

"Right." Athrun stated coolly. When he first learned of this whole fiasco, it overwhelmed him to think that he was engaged to Cagalli. Ant she didn't even know it, not even his parents!! He came upon this interesting information, while in one of his lessons in the middle of a normal school week. It was also there, that he had met the all too-good- for- himself- Dearka and I'm- mad- at- the- whole- world- Yzack. He had tried to hide the information from them, but eventually Dearka had found out, and accidently let it slip to his teachers. And not even four days later, had his father arrived to scold him into the ground. Thinking back at it now, he smiled at it all. That's why he's here at the moment; he had to come give his 'wife' the good news. After a moment of silence between them all, Dearka spoke up in hopes of lightning the mood.

"So, what now? Do we just leave?"He asked.

"No," Athrun snapped back, lifting his head up, "of course not!" How could Dearka possibly suggest they just leave things as they are, and take the road?

"We can't possibly leave now. Not with those hunters in the area." How was it all to look, if Athrun was to say:

"Well know you know about everything Cagalli, bye!! See you in a few years!!" She'd kill him, for just dropping her like that.

"And besides," he started calming himself, "I'm probably going to have to stay here. And again, with the hunters in the area we need to take precautions." Dearka nodded and Yzack spoke up, finally taking a seat to Athrun's left.

"I knew the hunter association was persistent," He said seeming shocked in a way, and looked at them both concerned, "but never have they dared to come this close to our territory." Athrun nodded, and thought about it for a few seconds.

The hunters had to be up to something.

Especially, to have confronted them so openly. Were Vampires really that dangerous to have around? He sighed and stood up, stretching his legs a bit.

"Clearly this area isn't as save as we sought it to be." He frowned looking forward, while continuing his sentence.

"They managed to kill a vampire in just in day. And that doesn't even take into count, Cagalli that they hurt." His blood boiled a bit at the thought, of Cagalli almost losing her life at the hands of a mere hunter. If they were to scratch any part of her body ever again, he was going to kill them personally. Dearka voiced his thoughts, blankly looking at Yzack.

"Maybe they've got a base somewhere near this area?" Yzack turned his head to Athrun and said shrugging.

"He's got a point, for once."

"Hey!!" Dearka shot back. Yzack ignored his rambling and continued.

"That would explain the increase of killings in this area."

"Maybe," Athrun said, and walked to the door opening it, "maybe not. Either way, weir going to have to speak to my parents about this, once every one is here." He closed the door with a small thud behind him, leaving both of them with their thoughts. Dearka and Yzack exchanged glances, and thought of the same thing.

'_Guess it's back to business.' _

_(Page line)_

In a dazed state Cagalli sat and wondered what had just happened…

All the new information she received, zoomed all over inside her mind. And possessing it was the other problem. Absentmindedly she touched her lips, recalling the feeling of having Athrun so near to her. Athrun had kissed her, just like that. A blush creped upon her cheeks, while she also fiddled with the silk linen. This strange feeling came rushing to her stomach every time she thought about it.

The feeling of maybe being in love? Cagalli felt ecstatic, yet also very confused. Athrun was there and he was kissing her, yet …

'_I can't let my Fiancé get any more hurt, than she already has…' _What was going on?!And what does he mean with Fiancé?!Cagalli shook her head, badly trying to rid her mind of that particular thought. Athrun had told her she was to become his Fiancé, because they've been feeding of each other. One bite mark in a person's neck made no difference, but if both of them were to have one made by each other, the marriage bond was as good as sealed.

For life.

For the first time Cagalli understood why Vampire's weren't allowed to feed off each other. It was like asking a person to marry you. And biting was meant only for that. She sighed, getting the freaky urge to go for a walk again. But because of what happened earlier, that was probably not the most trustworthy option right now. She willed her body to get out of bed, and got slight aching pains from her wound. The door opened suddenly, and she glanced up surprised at who she saw.

"Leonor-"

"Cagalli child, sit down!" Leonor exclaimed, worriedly rushing to her side. She carefully placed a hand on Cagalli's back, giving her support.

"Don't you think it's a little risky to get out of bed so soon?" Leonor asked. Cagalli shook her, appreciating the attention she was getting, and smiled.

"Really Leonor, I'll be fine." Leonor snorted and proceeded to talk.

"That's not what I've heard. Everyone's greatly worried about you." She motioned with her hand to the door, and Cagalli looked in that direction. A maid came in with a wooden wheelchair, and stopped it in front of them both. She stared at it doubtfully, then at Leonor.

"Should I-"

"Yes," Leonor nodded. She took one of Cagalli's hands, and led her to the wheelchair, pushing her down into it.

"Wait, really-" Cagalli tried to protest.

"It's just a shot, I'm not broken or anything." She tried to get up and out of it, but Leonor stopped her, looking at her sternly.

"I suggest you sit down… we need to talk about something." Cagalli lowered herself back into the chair. The look Leonor gave her, spelled out **no jokes**clearly. What was so important she wondered? Leonor glanced forward and started to pull them out of the room. In mere minutes they were down the hall, and out of the old building. For a second, Cagalli considered asking if it was even safe to walk in the open like this, but decided against it. Leonor spoke up, but kept a steady pace.

"How is your wound?" She asked. They were at the back of the house, steering through a garden that was well kept.

"Fine, I guess." Cagalli shrugged. The pain was still there, but not that much to have been put into a wheelchair. She heard a sigh come from above and looked up.

"Look child, I'm going to be frank with you and say… I know everything that's been going on." They came to the other side of the Garden and Leonor sopped pushing her. Worriedly Cagalli turned around in her chair.

"You mean," she started carefully. "The whole bonding thing?" Leonor nodded and stared at her blankly.

"I'm not going to lie to you. I was shocked to hear the news, but…"

'But'. Cagalli hated the word 'But'. The word only meant trouble and then some more later as well.

"I'm not going to shut out my only daughter now." Leonor said. Or not. She frowned and opened her mouth to speak.

"You mean you're not mad at us?" She asked, disbelievingly. Leonor's face lifted and smiled broadly.

"How can I be mad at you? It's like Patrick said to me the other day… You two didn't know yet." Cagalli gave a weak smile and looked back in front of her. Leonor was right, they didn't know. Not one of them. Two warm arms encircled her from behind, and gave her a bear-like hug.

"Oh I'm so happy for you!" Leonor exclaimed, eyes twinkling. Cagalli gasped, and warned sharply.

"Wound-Wound, touching my wound…"

"Oops," Leonor spoke, letting go slowly.

"Had a little mother outburst there." Cagalli chuckled and asked wondering.

"How can you be happy? The bond was an accident."

"My dear," Leonor started, pushing the wheelchair further again.

"I try not to look at the finer details in life. They tend to bring you down when you do." She smiled down warmly, and Cagalli knew she didn't intend that as an insult.

"Thank you mother." She joked.

"My pleasure... Daughter." They both relaxed from then on out, enjoying the so called 'walk' outside. Both of them were in too a deep thought, to have noticed the person silently walking after them.

* * *

**Well how was it? Yeah I'm not sure if I'm going to include a marriage part (Still thinking about it.) About the hunters, in the next chap their going to be discussed by some people and their whereabouts. Then something's going to happen, then something more and … You'll have to find out!! See you next time!! R&R**


	9. The Truth Revealed

**Hay there! Long time no fanfiction. Sorry… Inspiration seemed to have missed me by a mile, because I just had such a hard time getting this chapter out. Anyway, I decided to leave the hunter thing for later and made this a Cagalli& Athrun chapter only… With someone else. And please review. I want at least two reviews, before I post the next chapter.**

**And I just want to say thank you to those who have reviewed my story, it means a lot to me!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own GSD/GS**

**Enjoy!!**

**Chapter 9: The truth revealed…**

Oblivious to the person sneaking up behind them, Leonor and Cagalli continued walking around. Two strong arms swiftly took hold of Leonor's shoulders, causing her to grasp at the sudden contact from behind and stop. She turned around, clearly showing a face of horror, not seeming to be all too happy. Cagalli turned around in her chair, glancing backward. After a minute of staring she relaxed at who she saw, but quickly turned her head away again.

"Dammit Athrun," Leonor scolded. "What are you thinking?!" She shook her head and continued.

"Sneaking up on your mother like that. You want me to have a heart attack don't you?" He gave them both a stern look, and folded his arms in front of his chest.

"I thought I told you earlier that it's not save to wonder around anymore?" Cagalli's heart started to race all the sudden, and she couldn't stop the blush from staining her cheeks. He cared about their safety, how sweet of him. The thought brought her back to a certain 'thing' that happened in her room earlier. He seemed to care a lot there as well. Memories came crashing into her mind, and it only made things worse. Great, now she couldn't stop thinking about that to. Just having him standing there, made her nervous and palms sweaty. Leonor took her attention, by straightening herself, and giving Athrun the I'm-your-mother-and-don't-tell-me-what-to-do-look.

"I think I'm capable of taking care of myself dear," She said and lifted a brow in defense. "It was a harmless little walk outside, nothing more." Athrun shot her a warning look and walked forward. Cagalli's heart sped up even more and she took slow breaths trying to calm herself.

'_Just don't look at him,__ '_She kept on chanting.

'_Arg!_' He was everywhere in her mind. More precisely, the kiss was all over mind.

"That's beside the point," he continued. "You didn't even sense me coming at all." Cagalli crammed her head to the side, trying to prevent Athrun from seeing her stained cheeks, when he walked over and stopped in front of them. He gave her a puzzled look at first, but seemed to have ignored the question forming in his head.

'_Just keep arguing, just keep arguing.'_ She thought nervously.

"You do realize that I'm not even the most skilled Vampire out there right?" Asked Athrun.

"I know," Leonor argued, and folded her arms in front of her. "I just wanted to-"

"Just," Athrun sighed, cutting her off. "Please stay indoors. Don't wonder off before telling anyone alright?" He glanced at his mother one last time, before letting his eyes rest on Cagalli. Her head was still crammed to the side, and she kept fiddling with the nightgown she had on. For a second -out of the corner of her eye- she could have sworn, she saw a flicker of disappointment flash in his eyes. But it disappeared just as easily. She felt weird ignoring him like this, it just didn't feel right to her. She actually wanted to say something to him, but her mind couldn't form at least one decent sentence. Athrun nodded and turned, after no one spoke anything. Cagalli heard Leonor snort through her nose, and looked at her puzzled. She wondered-lifting a brow- what was going through her mind, when an evil smile spread all over her face.

"Leonor?" Cagalli asked sternly, leaning forward. Leonor gave her a devious smile, and winked. She waved her hands over her head, trying to get her son's attention again.

"Oh Athrun…" She said sweetly. She practically sang his name across the grass, and didn't seem to care at all. Cagalli's lip curled upward, pleased at the scene that was unfolding in front of her.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Leonor asked, and placed both her hands on her hips.

Athrun turned around again, and asked confused.

"No, what?" For some reason Cagalli felt insulted by his answer. Why, she didn't know. What did he forget anyway? There was nothing here at all. She searched the ground for any object that may have fallen, but she could have sworn he came empty handed when he stood there in the beginning.

There was a long pause, before Leonor continued speaking again.

"Your wife…" She said, letting her hands fall to her sides. Athrun's eyes widened a bit, and he seemed surprised at what his mother said. Cagalli stared at him, interested in what he was going to say. A part of her actually wanted him to stay with them. But the other part screamed _'embarrassed scene happened earlier, wheel away, just wheel away!!' _She wouldn't even be able to utter one word, without either blushing herself half to death or stutter for that matter. Who's to say he'll do the same. What if he kissed her only to prove a point, and that was it. No feelings.

Nothing.

Zero.

"Come to think about it," Leonor started again. "You two need to spend some more quality time together. Like a little chat or something like that." Oh trust me they've had more than enough chats to last them a whole week for that matter.

"You know, get to know each other better." Athrun folded his arms, dropping the amazed look completely. He stared at Leonor blankly, and said:

"And who's to say we don't know each other enough?" The thought swirled in Cagalli's mind, and somehow struck a nerve. What did she know about Athrun, other than the fact that he was a Vampire? Nothing came to her, when she tried thinking about it more. It startled her a bit, and the news came as an eye opener too. Athrun knew nothing about her as well and to make matters worse, they were practically engaged to each other. Wait scratch that, they **were**engaged and the marks in their necks were prove enough for that. Leonor broke her train of thoughts, by walking forward and placing a hand on Athrun's shoulder.

"She's your wife, not mine. You take care of her." She winked at him and continued.

"Have some fun for once, fool around, just don't do anything naughty okay?"

"Mom!!" Athrun scolded, and blushed heavily. Cagalli coughed in her chair, at the images that appeared inside her mind. The thought of having him do something naughty to her, made her heart skip a beat. As if things weren't awkward between them already, Leonor just had to say that as well. She giggled, obviously aware at what she had just said to them both.

"Well, I'm going off now. Remember … nothing naughty." She walked away, purposely laughing her head off, trying to worsen the situation they were in. Was she trying to make them die of embarrassment? But anyway…

Now, for the matter at hand. Cagalli inhaled, preparing herself for sweaty hands, stuttering words and racing hearts. Athrun came forward, glancing at everything around them, except her. He took hold of the wheelchair-ignoring her stares in the process- and pushed it forward. She was wordless, she couldn't even muster up a _'hey, no need for the chair, I feel fine…really.'_ Not even one decent sentence. What was she going to say to him anyway? The silence was agony. It's not like she could just say '_hay, you know about the kiss… yeah I kind of liked it you know?'_Hell no!! Just when she had enough, and wanted to say something, Athrun seemed to beat her to it.

"You know, I used to hate girls with blond hair…" He what? Cagalli turned in her seat, wanting to see his face, wondering if he was lying to her. She eyed him suspiciously, but saw nothing but truth in his eyes. So he used to loathe blond girls? Interesting… Suddenly she wanted to know more about him. It was kind of fun listening to him talking.

"Really?" She asked, amazed.

"Yeah," He nodded. "But, not anymore." They were now walking (Well wheeling) down a stoned path at the back of their house. The garden around them was slowly ending, seeing as they came nearer to the end of it. They kept a slow pace and Cagalli asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Then, why are you even near me then?" She took a strand of her blond hair and flicked it in the air, trying to prove her point.

"Helooo! Natural blond here…" Athrun's face turned serious all the sudden and he leaned in closer over her shoulder, whispering seductively into her ear.

"Because I met you…" He kissed her cheek softly, and straightened himself again. Cagalli blushed beat red at what he did, and turned away. She felt bubbly inside, sparks flying all over her stomach. She even had to count to ten, just to keep herself from passing out. Athrun continued as if nothing had happened at all.

"I was also born in a little town named Green Hayden. It's actually just a few miles from here. But for some reason, my parents decided to move. And now here I' am." He steered them a few more meters, before stopping. Cagalli surveyed her surroundings a bit and smiled at the memories that appeared in her mind. In front of them was a big Oak tree, with parts of the wood starting to grown further on. In the distance-if you looked really hard-you could also see the fence going all around their property. This was where Cagalli and Kira use to relax on an off day. The sounds of nature, pure white clouds and blue skies were breathtaking. And always will be. When you looked backward, all you could see was the back entrance of their house, with the garden stretching between them. Athrun continued to talk, while taking a seat on the grass.

"I hate the color green, and don't even think about giving me a hug, because I hate it." Cagalli frowned at what he said, and Athrun added quickly reassuring her a bit.

"Well, depending on who it is thou." She nodded, feeling glad he said that at the last minute. What if she was to hug him, and he brushed it off all the time? She got out of the chair, and joined him on the ground.

"Okay, now you know a little of me. Time to cough up your dirty secrets." As if she had any secrets, not that she knew of any. She smiled and a thought crossed her mind. He studied her face a bit before adding.

"And no, I'm not going to spill anything to you. Not embarrassing or stupid. Forget it." Her shoulders slouched a little, and she puffed her cheeks out, not liking what he did at all.

"Cheat! Stop reading my thoughts!"

"I'm not reading your thoughts," Athrun explained. "It's written all over your face."

"Whatever," she sighed. A small wind picked up, and blew past the tree, ruffling its leaves in the process. Cagalli inhaled the smell, and breathed out. Athrun turned on his back, and lied down on the grass. He glanced up at the sky, and looked mostly in thought. She studied him from head toe, noticing again how well build his body really was. His blue midnight hair had grown a lot in these past few years. And his skin seemed a bit pale too, but not enough to give himself away. Mostly people would have just thought, he needed to get in the sun more. Unknown to her, Athrun had already turned his head, and was busy waiting for her to finish. She traced his skin up past his neck, until she came to his face. They both locked eyes for a while, and she couldn't help but feel warm inside again. Those eyes of him were filled with so much love and concern, from top to bottom.

"What were you thinking about right now?" She looked away, embarrassed and said:

"As if you wouldn't know."

"True." He patted the spot next to him, and motioned for her to come lie down. She stood up and walked over to his side, and lied down again. They both laid there for a few second before Athrun spoke up again.

"You must have noticed me acting kind of weir around you right?"

"Weird? Um no, why?"

He turned on his side, leaning his head on one of his hands. She gave him a curious look, wondering what he meant. Did he think he acted weird around her? Because if he did, she didn't even notice it. Athrun was always just well, Athrun. In charged and secure about what he wants to be. (And do, for that matter.)

"You want to know **why** I act weird?"

"Must I know?-"

"I fell in love with someone," Athrun added, cutting her off. He what? When? Secretly she was hoping that that somebody he fell in love with was her.

What if it wasn't her?! What if he did fell in love with somebody else?! Then she'd be married to somebody, who doesn't even love her!! Her face face showed a little of emotion with what he said. For some reason Athrun smiled at her, but she wasn't finding this very amusing at all.

"And guess what, you know her."

"Really?" She asked, not believing her ears. Cagalli stretched her mind, trying to think about anybody at all, but nobody came to her. Who did she know, that was a girl, and that Athrun might have known-

"You know…Her name is Cagalli, but don't tell her okay. She might find out…" What he said brought her back to reality. Did he just say _Cagalli?_

She turned her head to him.

"Wait you mean?-"

"Yeah," he nodded, and sat up. "I fell in love with you Cagalli. From the first time I saw you, I couldn't stop thinking about you. Even after I had to leave." He reached out and touched her face with his hand. Her stomach started swirling in every direction. Finally something good is happening to her! She wanted more from him than just his words. She wanted him to prove it to her, to show her he really cared. Athrun seemed to search her face for any signs and she smiled at him.

"Took you long enough." She said, taking his hand in her. She sat up and stroked his cheek. Athrun leaned into her touch and sighed.

"Is that a yes?"He asked.

"Yes," She whispered. "I love you too. All this time I've felt the same." He smiled and leaned in closer.

"Good." He said, and kissed her fully. She was all to glad to accept him. This time she wasn't shocked or didn't go stiff. She was calmed and relaxed, enjoying the touch of his lips to hers. He placed a hand on her lower back, and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss as well. Almost automatically Cagalli positioned her arms around his neck, wanting to remember every touch of him on her skin. She felt at ease in his arms, save and secure.

Like anything was possible.

The house could have been burning down to the ground, and she couldn't have cared less. Because Athrun was here with her and he was hers and nobody else's. Sounds of horse hooves making contact with a paved stone path came from the distance. Not so willingly Cagalli pulled away out of pure curiosity. Athrun looked at her and pouted, displeased that she pulled away. She smiled apologetically and glanced back at the house. A carriage, being pulled by two black horses, came riding in from the main gate. They were the most beautiful creatures she had ever seen in quite some time. Their skin as black as night and from where they were sitting, the panting of the horses could be heard. Which meant the visitors must have been traveling for quite some time. She stood and dragged Athrun up as well, ignoring his protests in the meantime.

"Come on we have visitors!" She said happily. He moaned and pulled a mournful face.

"Do we really have to?" She playfully smacked his shoulder, surprised that he even considered not going.

"Yes we do!" Cagalli said and entwined their fingers. Sometimes he really surprised her.

Athrun smiled and placed one last kiss on her lips, before leading them away. She blushed and followed close behind him. Again with the red face!!When was she ever going to get use to that feeling? They both walked through the garden and went inside the house. When they neared the main entrance, voices was able to be heard from outside.

"It gets even prettier here every time we visit, don't you think Uzumi." The woman asked. Cagalli frowned.

'_Uzumi?' _The woman spoke again, and Cagalli swore she's heard that voice somewhere. Lucerne opened the doors, walking inside with some luggage. He gave them both a respectful nod and walked off. They both turned back just in time, to see the people get out of the carriage. Cagalli nearly fell over from shock, but recovered quickly, and screamed happily. Her voice came out all squeaky and almost immediately she felt all joyful inside. Without thinking, she hurled herself into the woman's arms, surprising her and Uzumi.

"Maria!" Maria stepped back, steadying them both. She hugged Cagalli back, seeming happy.

"Cagalli! Oh look at you!"Maria drew her back and smiled at her warmly. Cagalli stared at her taking in her every face structure. Maria had aged a little from when she saw her a few years ago. A few strands of grey hair was visible from where they were all standing. The smile Maria gave Cagalli, made her own smile turn downwards. A lonely feeling came forth in her stomach, and it made her sad. How long has it been since she's seen Maria? Memories of when she had to leave, came rushing back to her mind. Her joyful face, felt cheerless.

"I missed you so much Maria." She said, her voice getting rough. It felt so unreal to have her here. A small tear ran down her face and Maria noticed this, and said stroking her cheek.

"Oh Cagalli, don't cry. I'll always be here." Athrun stood back respectively giving them their space. Uzumi joined, standing next to him.

"And you are?"He asked, raising a brow. Athrun held his hand out to greet him.

"Athrun Zala sir, nice to meat you." Uzumi grasped his hand and smiled.

"Pleasure is all mine." They both turned their attention back to Maria and Cagalli, surprised at what Cagalli said.

"I have so many questions to ask you. I don't even know where to begin. I'm so confused Maria-" Maria wiped her cheek one last time, before stepping back. She gave a sad smile at Cagalli and continued.

"And I don't blame you dear. In fact the person to be blamed is me." The person to be blamed was her? What did she mean? Maria turned around and got back into the carriage. She fiddled with a box on the ground and pulled out a brown envelope. Athrun came closer and asked concerned.

"What's going on Cagalli?" She gave him a reassuring look, and said:

"There's still a few things that I need to tell you, and Maria might be the answer to all my questions." Well that was what Cagalli hoped. The only person she knew who to go to was Maria and Uzumi. They were there the day she woke up. The day that was basically her beginning of life. She couldn't remember anything before that, so something had to be wrong. And the dreams were prove of that.

"Questions?" Athrun asked, and frowned down at her. Maria got both their attention back, by handing the envelope over to Cagalli.  
"You might want to take a look at this." She said, and stepped back. Cagalli dug her hand into the package and pulled out a bunch of photo's. Hopefully things were going to be a bit clearer from then on out, especially after she inspected the photo's.

Or not.

She gasped at what she saw, and intensively zoomed in on the photo. There in black and white ink was the woman from her dreams. She was posing with a man, who had blond short hair and light blue eyes.

"Vi-Via??" She said, hastily flipping through the rest of the photo's. Via's face appeared on each and every photo. Either she was with someone or just on her own smiling broadly.

"Where-Where did you get these?" Cagalli asked, her eyes urging Maria for an answer.

"So you recognize her, don't you?" Maria asked.

Mouth agape, Cagalli answered breathlessly. "Well yes-" How did Maria know about Via? A woman from her dreams. Cagalli's never told anyone about her strange dreams. She may have considered Lenore, but never did it after all. She turned to Uzumi and thought back to the dream she had about him at the small country house. He was younger there and he had spoken with Via, so did that mean it was really a memory? It was the only solution she could think of, of them knowing Via. Uzumi stared at her and looked away guiltily.

"I'm sorry Cagalli," Maria started. "I should have told you earlier, but-"

"Tell me what?" Cagalli urged again. For a moment Maria hesitated but, pulled out one last photo from her pocket, and handed it over to Cagalli.

"This." She took the photo and studied it. Almost immediately her shoulders shagged, and she shook her head from side to side, not liking what was being revealed to her at all. There on the photo was a young smiling Cagalli, being held by a loving Via. And in the background-to make matters worse- was the small little country house from her dreams, glistering in the sun's rays. Was everything she knew a lie? all this time-

"No, this can't be real," She protested.

"Yes it is, and you can't deny it." Said Maria, and pointed at the picture.

"No!" Cagalli gave the photo back, not wanting to hear more than she already had. This couldn't possibly be true. How did they even find these photo's?!

Athrun stepped in and took them from Maria. He went through them all, and frowned.

"But, this is you Cagalli. How can you say no?" He asked and looked up.

"Cagalli." Maria said, smiling sadly. "Via is your real mother not me. And-And." He voice suddenly turned uneven as she continued onward.

"I did something terrible, very terrible." Her face turned remorseful, and she stepped forward. Somehow Cagalli dreaded what Maria had to say to her. If Via was her mother, and her hunch was right, then that meant…

'_Run-run, until you're outside!! It's not save here anymore!!' _The house that burned down that day was hers and she was the one who got knocked out by the doors arch. She stepped backward, bumping into Athrun. He gave her a puzzled look and held her closely, sensing something was off. Maria shook her head guiltily and said the last few words slowly.

"It's because of me, that you've suffered all these years. I'm the one who caused you to be separated from your family."

* * *

**Well that is it for now. The truth is finally revealed. Via is Cagalli's mother and if things don't make sense to you, pm me or write a review and I'll get back to you and explain the best I can. Hope it's not too confusing!! Thank you all!! Sorry if there's any spelling errors!**


	10. You just had to dig my sister up

_The long wait was wrong of me and I apologize for that. I had no time to write and to make matters worse I had a major writers block. But I'm over it now and back in action. Thank you all for the reviews and let's not waste any time!! On with the very long chapter, made just for you!! _

* * *

Leonor stepped out into the main entrance and raised a confused eyebrow at what she saw.

"Maria, Uzumi, what are you doing here so early?" She asked, stepping closer. "I thought you weren't coming to visit until three days from now." Leonor stopped in front of Athrun, and noticed him holding onto Cagalli protectively. Everyone seemed gloomy, and a tense feeling was in the atmosphere for some reason. One look between Maria and Cagalli, told her she interrupted something very important. Maria finally spoke up, wanting to break the silence.

"Maybe we should take this inside?" She suggested. She glanced at Leonor asking the next question.

"Would you mind showing us to the living room?" Leonor briefly wondered what could have said between everyone, to have caused such expressions. Rather leaving the questions for later, she answered, stepping backward and making way for everyone to come inside.

"Of course, this way." Uzumi stepped inside, followed by his wife. Cagalli untangled herself from Athrun, seeming like she invited the idea of going to the living room. Leonor figured she just wanted to get things over with. (Whatever they were.) The blond stepped inside, not dropping one expression for Athrun or his mother to read. Leonor hesitated, but reached out to her, wanting to know what happened. But Athrun stopped her, by grasping her hand and shaking his head.

"You'll find out soon enough, don't worry." He said, and ushered her inside. After what he said, she sighed and decided to leave it at that, and went along with everyone. If there was any time to be confused it was now.

Or so Leonor thought.

She led everyone to a beautifully carved wooden door and opened it. Maria thanked her, and went inside, with Uzumi hot on her heals. Inside a light breeze came from the opened windows to their right. A soft light shined from outside, and lit up the room. Two brown leather couches sat opposite each other, with a coffee table between them. Uzumi sat down, with a heavy sigh, and Maria did the same.

"It feels like just yesterday that we've been here," He said, taking the room around him into account.

"What do you mean, just yesterday?" Cagalli asked, standing motionless at the doorway. She gave him a sceptical look, came inside and sat down opposite Maria. Uzumi opened his mouth to respond, but Maria cut him off wanting to carry on.

"Let's not waste anymore time, rather leave that question for later," She said, pulling out the photo's again.

"After we heard about the Hunters, Uzumi and I came as soon as we could. And I figured it was as any good time as now." She handed the photo's over, giving Cagalli no choice but to take them. The blond studied them again, and seemed to be on the verge of tears. Leonor came closer and placed a hand on her shoulder, wanting her to know everything was going to be okay. She still didn't know what was going on, and her patience was wearing thin. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of the picture's Cagalli held in her lap. She turned curious and asked, razing an eyebrow.

"Via?" What did an old friend of Leonor have to do, with Cagalli?

"You know her?" Maria asked.

"Yes," Leonor replied. Or she used to know her, but only for a few years.

"Well," Maria continued and turned back to Cagalli. "I know this is forward, but I want you to ask me any question that's been bothering you since you've left." She surprised everyone at what she said, and gave a stern look wanting to prove she wasn't joking around.

"Anything at all?" Cagalli asked, mostly mumbling softly to herself.

"Yes," Maria confirmed. The blond kept quiet for a while, looking down at her lap. Leonor figured she was probably getting her thoughts straight. And she hoped it would happen soon, seeing as she still didn't understand what was going on. Quietly from the back, Yzak, Dearka, and Kira came hustling inside. Dearka –peeved that they didn't know about this little 'meeting'-didn't notice Yzak stop and bumped into him, who bumped into Kira, causing him to hit his toe against the edge of the couch, where Cagalli sat in. A squeaking sound came from Kira, while he tried to regain his composure. He smiled awkwardly and scratched his head.

They just didn't make proper shoes, like they use to. Yzack turned around and swatted Dearka's head with his hand, seeming ready to give the blond a piece of his mind, but stop immediately after locking eyes with Athrun. He gave them all a warning look and shook his head, turning his attention back to Cagalli. Of all the times to act stupid, did they really have to do it now? Dearka mouthed a 'sorry!', and quickly found a comfortable corner to stand in. After the little commotion settled, Maria turned back to Cagalli, still waiting for a question. The blond bit her lower lip in thought, and continued.

"What exactly happened those few years ago, when the country house burned down?" She seemed interested in a way and looked Maria straight in the eye.

"Why did it burn?" She asked one last time, before giving them time to answer. Uzumi and Maria exchanged glances as if to ask, who was going to speak. Uzumi took charge after a few seconds, and said leaning forward. "As the main chiefs of subdivision one, it was our order from headquarters to eliminate all Vampires from your hometown-"

"At that time there were only two families in the area, who were from Vampire blood." Maria butted in.

"And seeing as Uzumi and I were from the Hunter association, it was our duty to carry out the orders. We killed everyone."

"So I was right all along," Cagalli said mostly to herself. "Uzumi was from the Hunter association, and Maria you said it yourself. You're from the association as well-"

"Yes but, how could you have known before I told you-"

"My hunch was correct, wow," She said surprised, but frowned afterward. She searched their faces for answers and seemed to get confused all the more.

"But, why am I still here? Is **everyone** dead?"

"No," Maria said sternly, and shook her head. "I'm afraid your father was the only one, who didn't make it out alive."

"I'm sorry," Said Uzumi. Her eyes quivered a bit. How was she suppose to react to what Maria said? And then a thought hit her with a hard blow.

Her only father was dead.

She's never going to see him again.

Ever.

Why did she feel so empty all the sudden, like her heart was ripped out of her chest? She barely knew him. Was he the blond guy in the photo next to Via, maybe. Was she suppose to grieve for somebody she didn't even know that well? Not knowing how to respond, she turned away disappointed.

"I see," She said sadly. It's not like she could have expected happy stories. This was her past being revealed to her, and at the moment it seemed to be really dull. She turned back.

"But you still haven't answered my question yet. Why was I raised by hunters no less?" Maria took a deep breath, preparing herself for a long explanation.

"Uzumi and I found you under a burning log that knocked you out." She said.

"We couldn't get it over our hearts to just leave you there." Uzumi added. "I recognized you after that time, that I came to warn Via of the hunters plan to kill your family. I'm not sure if you remember but-"

"Yes. Well I had a dream about it just the other day," Cagalli said, scratching her head. "Or, well I thought it was a dream back then. But I guess not..." Leonor happily snapped her fingers behind Cagalli, gathering everybody's attention in the mean time. She rushed to stand in front of the blond, and shook her shoulders lightly. How could she not have seen it? She understood everything clearly now.

"That's it Cagalli!! I've figured it all out," She exclaimed smiling.

"Figured what out?" Cagalli asked, trying to pull Leonor's hands of her shoulders. Her wound still hurt a little from the bullet, and all this shaking wasn't helping ease its pain.

"What are you talking about," The blond asked, finally getting Leonor's hand away from her.

"Your ability child. You see visions, not memories." Cagalli frowned, and stared at her mouth agape. She had never thought of it in that way. All she saw these memories as, were well memories.

"You had dreams about the burning house, right?" Leonor asked.

"Yes," Cagalli answered hastily.

"And of Uzumi meeting Via and many more, right?"

"Yeah, but ..." The blond's voice trailed off, looking at Athrun for some answers. Was Leonor actually right? Athrun shrugged his shoulders and said looking at her.

"The possibility is very strong. Think about it. How come after four years of being here, you still haven't figured out what your ability is."

"But, I don't even see into the future or anything. Their just **my** memories coming back to me!" Cagalli argued again. She was just slowly starting to remember her past, that was all. But, could they really be visions? That or everybody was just as confused, as to why she hasn't figured out her ability yet and was using the memories as an escape. Strangely Maria chose this time to speak, stopping the blond from further judging their words.

"Visions don't always have to do something with the future Cagalli. It could be from anybody's past as well." The blond bit her lower lip and asked, wanting to confirm what they all said.

"So my ability is being able to see into the past?" She asked.

"Yes," Leonor nodded, stepping backward. "And from the looks of it, through your dreams you see these visions." Cagalli sighed and sat backward, leaning her head against the couch. Obtaining all this information was tiresome. All in one day she found out about her engagement to Athrun. Her father- whom she couldn't even remember all that well- died protecting her family. And Maria and Uzumi weren't her real parents; they only found her knocked out under a burning log. All this thinking caused her to have a headache and she rubbed her templates, trying to get rid of it. Realizing something important, Cagalli looked up frowning.

"Wait a minute, didn't I have a brother? Where is he?" Maria lifter her finger.

"I was getting to that but," She turned her head, looking at Kira. "Since you've asked." Everyone followed her gaze. Next to him Yzak froze, not liking the attention that was placed in their direction. Uncomfortable with the situation, he scooted three meters to his right, trying to get away from the main spotlight. For the first time, Cagalli noticed Kira fuming in the corner. The usually kind and happy Kira, was actually angry for once? A frown mixed with confusion and anger, crossed his whole face.

'_This can't be. Is Maria suggesting that Kira is my brother?'_ The blond thought, dazed at what was unfolding in front of her. All this time, he was right there, right next to her. And she hadn't even noticed him at all. How could she have been so blind? Only to prove her point more, Maria added slowly.

"Kira Hibiki is Via Hibiki's son, as well as your brother." The brunette shook his head from side to side, somehow detesting what Maria had to say.

"No," He breathed quietly, and closed his eyes. Almost as if he was remembering something important that he kept concealed in the back of his mind all this time. He spoke the next few words so softly; even Cagalli had a hard time understanding what he said.

"She's dead. Always have been." He sighed. Uzumi caught on to what Kira said, and added sternly.

"She's not dead!" He pointed a finger at Cagalli and purposely raised his voice.

"Your sister is right here in front of you, she's-"

"No!" Kira countered and straightened himself, to stand upright. His usual calm demure expression was completely gone, only to be replace by a face of irritation. He started walking to the door, passing Cagalli while doing so. The brunette didn't even bother looking at her at all. In a way his action hurt her deeply. And so did his next words.

"There was a funeral for god's sake," He spat. "You don't just bring something like that back." Kira opened the door everyone came in with earlier, and shut it behind him with a deafening bang. The blond flinched at the loud sound and couldn't help but stare blankly ahead of her. His reaction was so unexpected. How could he even deny something so important? The proof was all there, and from the looks of it, Maria and Uzumi could back it all up. Yes it did hurt, when he said all those things. But, it's not like she could have expected something better from him. It's like Kira said, there was apparently a funeral held in her honour, for her death. And how long has it not been, since she 'died'?

Months.

Months that eventually turned into years. Cagalli sighed, and stood up from the couch. Everyone stared at her remorsefully, but she couldn't care less what they thought at the moment. She gave a determent look – mostly for herself- and ran out of the room, surprising everyone at what she did. She needed to speak calmly with Kira. She needed him to understand the situation they were in. He probably already did, but his actions were surly steered by his emotions. Either way, was he really going to deny her the chance of reuniting with her family again? She knew the brunette, and he'd never do that to anybody. He just didn't have the heart to do something of that calibre. And if a small talk was going to set things straight, then she was willing to do it anytime.

Rounding another corner, Cagalli stopped searching, wanting to catch her breath. Kira was nowhere to be found.

'_Where could he have run off to'_, she thought, starting to walk again. She had already checked every inch of the house, and clearly he wasn't in it. An image of the oak tree outside at the garden, flashed through her mind, and almost immediately she wanted to slap herself. The tree, he had to be there! They had spent most of their off time there, so it made sense in a way. Cagalli sighed at her stupidity, and started back the way she came. After some mindless walking-gathering her thoughts together and all- she opened the back door leading to the garden. Just as she predicted, there he was sitting on the ground, back facing her. Why she hadn't thought of this place earlier, she still hated herself for that. Kira turned his head to the side slightly, acknowledging that he knew she was there. Cagalli's shoulders shagged at what she saw. When she was close enough, she noticed something- that even knowing Kira as well as she did- had he never done before. He was sitting crossed legged on the floor, shoulders trembling. Kira was –for the first time actually- crying in front of her. He looked so defeated and helpless. But what could she do, other than just comfort him? Cagalli sat down next to him, sighing.

"Oh Kira," She said, reaching her hand out to wipe the tears off of his face. He backed away from her touch and looked away; clearly still angry about what was said in the room. The blond was disappointed at his reaction, but tried her best not to show it. What amazed her was the fact that he could shed tears while being angry at the same time. But what really infuriated her, was the fact that he acted like the whole world was going to get blown up. He wasn't the only one who had to deal with the news!! If only she had the guts to yell that at him. But she just couldn't. She didn't want to make things worse than they already were. They sat there in silence for a while, not uttering one word to each other. Cagalli not really knowing where to begin, and Kira just confused. After a while he wiped the embarrassing tears away, and spoke up, but still kept his gaze away from her.

"You were dead," He whispered, sounding as if he hardly believed himself in the process. He finally gave in and looked at her, his eyes having a layer of shine to them after the tears were shed. Cagalli' barriers immediately fell down after she saw his sad face again. She just couldn't be mad at him. In a way she was glad he didn't bite her head off. She smiled.

"No," Cagalli said lovingly. "I was only taken into care, before you were able to find me." Kira stared at her, inspecting her while doing so.

"All this time…" He breathed, and let out a frustrated sigh. "You were here. Right here in front of me, and I didn't even notice you. Not one bit."

"Neither did I," Cagalli countered. Kira shook his head, and gazed up at the sky, wanting to prove her wrong.

"No, but you lost your memory along the way. But me, I knew how you looked and yet... That's no excuse." The blond placed her hands on the ground behind her and leaned on them, with her legs sluggishly placed in front of her. She frowned and asked.

"But didn't you wonder at least once, who I was? Or was there even a time that the thought crossed your mind?"

"It did," Kira began slowly. "But I brushed it off and told myself you were dead. There was no way you could have been alive, not after that fire broke out." His jaw tightened while his eyebrows furrowed. Cagalli knew he was putting all the blame on himself.

So typical of Kira.

Always taking the blame of somebody else's mistakes. Her disappearing was no one's fault, but her own. If she hadn't tried to re-enter the house again, the doors arch never would have fallen on her. And they would have found her safely on the outside of the house. Again she caused trouble for people who had done nothing but love her dearly. Think, how many had not mourn for her death? How much did it not cost to organize the funeral? How many more hearts were going to be saddened again, by her showing up all the sudden? Cagalli pulled her legs closer to her chest, and tried to calm herself. Now wasn't the time to be asking such questions. But none the less, a small tear escaped her eye and she sniffed her nose quietly. Everything was just so messed up. Kira turned his head, puzzled at the sound he head coming from the blond. Her words came out all muffled and she seemed to choke a little on much needed breath. If he hadn't registered that she was starting to cry, he really would have thought she was having an heart attack or something.

"I'm so sorry Kira," Cagalli cried, pulling her knees tighter to her shaking chest. While holding onto her legs, the nails on her fingers dug into her skin uncomfortably, seeming ready to pierce the flesh any minute.

"I'm so sorry you had to hear all about this," She whimpered. Kira glanced at her one last time, before sighing and doing the only thing he thought would calm her. He drew her trembling form closer to his body and stroked her hair reassuringly. The last thing he wanted was for her to think that she was a burden, and he needed to make that point clear to her very quickly.

"Don't you ever-for one moment-think that I'm not happy to hear you're alive!!" The hold Kira had on her tightened, and he did it only to prove that he wasn't playing around. Cagalli tensed for a bit, stunned at what he did. The brunette pulled back and held her at arm's length. He saw another tear on her face and wiped it away from her eye, affectionately. He continued.

"You're my sister. I couldn't have been happier to find out, that you didn't die that day in the fire." Her lip quivered slightly and Kira smiled warmly at Cagalli. One last tear escaped her eye, before she hugged him back and buried her face against his chest. Her words came out softly, but he heard them anyway.

"Thank you, brother..." Kira seemed pleased at what was said between them, and leaned his head protectively on his sisters. He let out a breath of relief and whispered.

"Anything for my sister."

A few hours later, Kira walked into the back entrance of the house, carrying a sleeping blond in his hands. He was glad they had talked things out between themselves. In a way it did feel weird to suddenly have her around, but not that he minded much. She was his long lost sister after all. He knew she didn't just show up at this house for nothing, and that it probably happened for a reason. Rounding a corner, which lead to a hallway, he heard muffled voices coming from the dining room. He was just about to walk right past the room, when the door opened suddenly to reveal a smiling Athrun. He stepped outside and nodded at Kira.

"Hearing skills still as sharp as can be I see," The brunette commented. He glanced inside quickly before turning back to his old friend. Everyone from earlier was sitting at the table conversing with one another, eating cheerfully. Athrun chuckled slightly, bringing the brunette's attention back to him.

"Got to stay sharp all the time right?"He asked. He glanced at the sleeping girl in Kira's arms and smiled. Kira nodded and continued silently, not wanting to wake Cagalli up with their talking.

"Listen Athrun, we talked a few things over and it seems Cagalli wants to meet our mother. She seemed very curious and anxious about it, and wants to leave as soon as possible." Cagalli became restless in Kira's arms and stirred a bit. He handed her over to Athrun, not really giving him a choice but to take her. She moaned a bit and curled up in her fiancé's arms.

"The sooner the better actually," Kira added."This will do her good. She needs to get away from the hunters a bit." He turned around walking to the door and a thought crossed his mind. He twisted his head to the side, saying.

"Oh and sorry for freaking out like that earlier." Athrun nodded his head understandingly. He understood perfectly well why the brunette did it, and he wasn't going to blame him.

Athrun turned around and slowly started walking.

"And one last thing," Kira started. "She's a little pale around the cheeks, you should feed her more." He closed the door and left Athrun to his thoughts. The vampire didn't even bother to answer back, and kept on walking. He was too embarrassed to face Kira with a blush forming on his cheeks. Athrun shook his head from side to side.

'_I swear. Sometimes Kira's even worse than Dearka.' _

Athrun purposely walked to his room only. He didn't want to put Cagalli in hers again. He wanted her with him, safely near the reach of his arms. When the familiar door of his old room came into view, he opened it with ease and went inside. He pushed the door shut with his left leg, and smiled at the memories that came tugging at his mind. Carrying the sleeping girl in his arms again, reminded him of the time when he had to carry her to her own room, when she had just attacked the maid.

Good times.

Walking to the bed, he gently laid her down on it. She moaned and stirred a little, before slowly opening her eyes groggily. The first thing she noticed was Athrun towering over her whole body, and then she blushed after figuring out where they were. Had Kira handed her over, when she fell asleep outside by the tree? From where she was now, probably. The blond sat up straight, and rubbed her eyes sleepily. Athrun smiled at her action and walked to his old closet.

"You probably want to change into clean clothes to sleep, huh?"He asked, opening some of the drawers. Hopefully there was still some old clothing of him in here somewhere. He noted she still had her nightgown on from this morning and she probably wanted a clean set of clothes by now. Cagalli looked down at herself, as if only now registering what he had said. She looked away quickly and smiled sheepishly.

"That would be nice thank you." Athrun nodded and went on searching for a shirt and pants. He could probably just have walked to her room and spare him the effort of looking for clothes that might not even be there anymore, but he was just too damn lazy.

"Here," He said, pulling out an overly sized red shirt and black pants. When he turned back around to give them to Cagalli, he started having second thoughts. She just looked so small on the bed. Was she even going to fit into these? Maybe he should have just walked to her room and get some clothes there. He handed them to her none the less. The blond thanked him, took the clothes and got of the bed. She started for the bathroom door, and Athrun felt a little disappointed at what she did.

"I'm going to quickly get change, be right back." A thought struck him and he smiled deviously. Just when she was about to open the door that led to the bathroom, he cut in and pulled her close to him.

"What, Athrun-" He silenced her rambling and placed a kiss on her lips, deepening it immediately. She tensed at first but relaxed quickly after that. Athrun smiled against her and pulled away slowly, sending shivers down her spine. Cagalli gazed up at him, looking dazed and baffled all at once. She was surprised at what he did and at what he said next.

"Go get changed, there's something I need you to do." He whispered, kissing her one last time on the cheek, before letting her untangle from his grip. She turned back to the bathroom, nodding, briefly wondering what it was that he wanted her to do. She closed the door with a small thud and sighed. The blond quickly pulled on the shirt and then the shorts afterward, and then she frowned into the mirror. To put it plainly, she was practically drowning in the clothes. The shirt was almost ten sizes too big, and could easily be mistaken for a dress, if one didn't look very close. The shorts also only stayed on if she held on to them tight enough. Why didn't he jus t walk to her room, and get some normal clothes there?

Damn lazy ass...

She sighed and decided to just drop the issue. Wondering about something like that now, was wasting precious time, and Athrun was waiting for her. She opened the door, and stepped outside, careful not to let her pants fall down. Athrun was sitting at his old desk, looking at nothing in particular. He seemed to be really in thought there. He turned his head to her, and chuckled immediately.

"Kira was right, you really need to feed more Cagalli." The blond huffed and countered back at him.

"Yeah well, it's not my fault you're so damn huge!" She nearly forgot about the loose pants she wore, when she attempted to place her hands on her hips. Luckily the blond recovered quickly and pulled the pants up, before they even had a chance to fall down at all. Athrun laughed at that and stood up from his chair. Maybe giving her the clothes wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"I'm not huge," He started and walked until he was in front of her. "Just well built." He smiled deviously again and whispered to her.

"You thought so yourself, remember?" Wait a minute, he read her expressions earlier?!!

Bloody hell... She really needed t conceal them better.

Cagalli blushed and stammered.

"Yeah, um, what was it you wanted me to do earlier?" She asked curiously, wanting to turn the conversation away from that particular topic. As enticing as it would have been to talk about it, she just didn't have the guts to do it now. Athrun wasted no time in answering back.

"This," He said and brought one of his fingers close to his neck. The blond tilted her head to the side, watching him, and her expression turned worried. Within seconds, blood came rolling down his neck, from the flesh that was cut from his fingernail. Cagalli gasped and quickly pulled his hand away.

"What are you doing?!" She asked, horrified. Her pants fell down past her knees, and they both looked down at them.

'_Oh bloody hell!! Of all the times to fall down...' _She shook her head and glanced back at Athrun. The blond couldn't care less now. Luckily the shirt was big and looked more like a dress than anything else. He came closer to her, and said at arm's length.

"You're weak from all the blood you lost, and therefore I need you to drink some of mine."

"Huh, wha-" Cagalli started, but was cut off when he didn't even give her any chance to answer. Picking her up effortlessly, he walked over to the bed and placed her on it. When he got on the bed himself, the blond blushed furiously and even more, when he pinned her down on it. He grinned down at her nervousness and spoke, moving closer to her face.

"You know where we stand as partners and as lovers. Relax, this is only to help you regain your strength." Cagalli smiled shyly at what he said, and did as he told her. He always had a way of words, always calming her down when he was going to do something, or when she had to do something. Athrun encircled his arms around her waist, and in one swift movement turned them around. He did it purposely, so she could be on top of him, in case he grew weak and fell on her. He still kept her close, protectively wrapping his arms around her. It took a few seconds, but eventually she gathered enough courage, leaned in and licked at the blood on his neck. The fresh blood sparked a fiery feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she wanted more of it.

More of that feeling.

Athrun got comfortable for the last time, before turning his neck and exposing more flesh. She bit down on his neck, not being able to hold her emotions back anymore. The blond drank mouthfuls of his blood and enjoyed every bit of it. The hold he had on her slacked and Cagalli pulled away immediately, alarmed and awake. She sat up straight and inspected him, worryingly.

"Athrun, you okay?" She asked, concerned. His eyes were closed and he was breathing slightly. In a way he looked dead. Luckily he spoke up and turned his head to the worried blond.

"I'm fine, don't worry. Just tired," He whispered softly. Cagalli let out a breath of relief and leaned in to kiss him on his lips.

"Thank you." She paused and added an extra part to the sentence. "Although I might have taken a little too much..." He chuckled beneath her and pulled Cagalli to lie next to him. She nuzzled closer to him, while Athrun protectively wrapped his arms around her body. The blond smiled inwardly. Not only did she have a knight in shining armour, but he was right here next to her.

And she couldn't have been any happier...

_Well I hope this clears everything up now?? Many questions are answered I hope?? Please review!! And let me know what you think. Iam afraid things are coming to an end. (Meaning the story.) There is only one chapter left, or so I planned. And then It's all over... Although the plot was a liitle boring for my taste, it helped me inprove my writting a lot. _


	11. Deathly Vision

**My apologies for the very long wait. **

**Reason one: Writers block.**

**Reason two: 25 viruses on my computer.**** (Now that kind of brings you down…)**

**But please bare with me only one chapter to go, or two from the looks of it. And I won't keep you waiting any longer… (A very long chapter awaits.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own GSD/GS!**

_**Chapter 11: Deathly vision**_

Sometimes the truth hurts. But not as much as this did…

She stared -bewilderment written across her entire face- at the silver pistol pointed at her heaving chest. A heaving chest attached to a trembling body, and a frightened girl. She should have seen it coming. Her hands now tide tightly behind her back, ropes binding her legs together as well. What an idiot she's been. How could she have missed them so? They were all right there within her reach; she could have stopped them immediately. Cagalli glanced around, quickly searching for an escape route.

Nothing. It was no use wasting her energy on that thought, when all that met her was thousands of wooden crates all stacked on top of each other. In a way her mind saw the crates as a disadvantage. Shielding her like a well armed fortress of wood, with no means of escape, or anybody hearing her past these pale walls. It seemed she was in some kind of warehouse. But it was old and dusty, seeming to have been used ages ago and never again. But where it was built, she had no clue and it made her panic a great deal. All the hunters surrounding her didn't help ease the blonde's mind one bit as well. Pointing the pistol at her, the hunter's face was masked by the shadows of the sickening place. Slowly he stepped forward, finally ready to unmask his identity. And bit by bit, all hope drained from her face, slowly leaking into the invisible pond of despair, as realization sunk in.

'_Shinn.'_

This was it.

The end of the the road for her so called miserable life. All she had left was a bit of dignity, and very deep past her fair skin, hope lay shattered to pieces. The blond closed her eyes, and turned her head sideways, ready to meet her fate. She heard him pull the trigger- and already scared to death- gasped as pain pierced her entire body in an instant.

This was it.

'_Athrun…'_

The end of the road.

Her eyes flew open instinctively, followed by small frightening gasp. Cagalli sat up abruptly, and felt around her trembling body. Sweat prickled her furrowed brows, and after a while she found no bullet or blood wounds on her skin. She sighed somewhat relieved yet still very alert and fell back down on to the beds wrinkled sheets. The dream felt real in anyway, to real for her liking. It was horrible and when she thought about what happened to her, a shiver shot through her entire body. Almost like what the bullet did to her… Then it hit her smack in the face. Her mind froze at the thoughts that appeared.

'_Your ability child! You don't have dreams, but visions,_' Leonor explained happily.

'_Visions don't always have to be about the future Cagalli, but they can be someone's past as well,' _Maria said wisely.

It can't be…

Was that a vision just now? She can't possible have one so fast, can she? Well it didn't feel unreal or weird at all and so forth. But if this was a vision it had to be of her future, because Cagalli as she recalled, was older and definitely scared. And this is where the troubling thoughts came rushing into her head. What had her worried was the fact that she died in this vision. Cold-blooded murder. She shook her head quickly wanting to get rid of those particular thoughts. The blond turned her head to the side, faced with an empty space next to her. The space where Athrun was supposed to be. In a way she was glad he left quietly, letting her rest fully for once. If he was to see this, she'd have to explain everything, and telling him about the part where she got shot 'dead', didn't sound so appetizing right now. Not if she wanted him to freak out, and feel sick all the sudden. But then again, he was her fiancé, and he did have the right to know whether his wife was about to be shot or not. Cagalli sighed and got out of bed. She glanced at herself and got a smell of a puking scent coming from her no less! She'd tell him later, once she got herself cleaned up. A fresh bath was much needed for her right now.

Reality could wait a little longer.

After cleaning herself to perfection, Cagalli went to her room, and got out a white sundress to wear. It flowed all the way to her knees and was tight around her waist, with wide straps going over her shoulders. She brushed her golden hair quickly until it shown beautifully. She then glanced in the mirror and eyed the wound on her shoulder sadly. The wound was healing at its own pace, but not fast enough for her taste. The blond prayed it wouldn't leave a mark once healed. The straps of the dress covered most of the wound, and only a bit of it could be seen at close inspection. But as the one who is stuck with the mark, Cagalli was the most conscious of it. It made sense in a way, and it made her uncomfortable. She decided to forget about it and went out of the room. Closing the door behind her quietly, Cagalli went on searching for Athrun. While cleaning herself, the blond thought it was only right that she tell him about her vision. She concluded that if he was to find out by anyone else-meaning Dearka or Yzak – he probably would be mad at her. She rounded another corner and almost ran smack into somebody else, to deep in thought to look where she was going.

"Whoa! Sorry," A male voice said. She recognized it as that Dearka guy from earlier. The blond smiled inwardly.

'_Speak of the devil.'_

"No problem," She said and decided to keep on walking past him. She didn't feel like talking to him right now. The blond needed to find Athrun and from the looks of her vision, fast! Dearka stopped her, by taking her arm into his hand. He seemed hesitant.

"If you're looking for Athrun, he's outside helping with the packing of the carriages." Cagalli frowned and said puzzled.

"Helping with the Carriages?" Was he going somewhere? What puzzled her also was the fact that Dearka knew what she was thinking. Almost as if he read her mind, while she walked past him.

'_Freaky…' _Well it wouldn't surprise her if he really is able to do that. All this abilities that each vampire contains, was always entertaining in a way for her. Where the one was even weirder than the next. Dearka continued and let go of her arm.

"Yeah," He nodded. "Apparently you're to have a little vacation." He paused to hear her answer, and frowned later on.

"You didn't know did you?"He asked, biting his lower lip. She shook her head slightly. Cagalli wasn't mad or anything, but a warning would have been nice. Dearka lifted his eyebrows, seeming to wonder if he said to much to her.

"Oh… well, now you know. Have fun!" He smiled brightly and tapped her shoulder slightly. To bad it was the wrong one. She winched at the contact and hissed through her teeth uncomfortable, pulling her face in a funny way.

"My shoulder wound-" Dearka pulled back quickly and bit his lip unsure of what to say. He tried to smile at her but failed miserably. This guy really wasn't making his mark in her good books.

"Uh, sorry," he said and patted her other shoulder instead. "Wrong one." He turned and walked in the other direction she was going.

"Good luck finding Athrun!" The blond could only shake her head, while she touched her shoulder. Well that was a weird conversation. She laughed inwardly; luckily it wasn't mister grumpy Yzak. He probably would have said nothing in his defence and stalked off. She dropped the thoughts and walked on again.

Walking into the main entrance, someone with perfectly polished shoes came striding towards her. The blond would have loved to see the persons face but, the poor guy was hidden behind a stack of suitcases. The person nearly ran her over and she quickly sidestepped ready to tell the person to watch it. When he walked past her she saw the back of his head, and smiled.

"Careful Lucerne, you nearly ran me over there," Cagalli warned. Curiously she walked after him. Lucerne turned around and tried to peak around the stack he was carrying. There was a small pause.

"Miss Cagalli is that you?" She nodded, not that he could see her anyway.

"Yes."

"My apologies, I didn't see you there." Cagalli sighed and could only stare as he walked out the front door.

No kidding.

She stared at the wobbly stack of suitcases that disappear behind the door and concluded to herself.

'_I guess my luggage's already packed-' _The blond gasped as something cold pressed against the side of her neck. She jumped to the side, while a dark chuckle came from behind her. An all too familiar chuckle.

She sighed and said turned around.

"You realise those hands of yours are cold right, Athrun?" He smiled darkly and drew her in for a warm hug, cutting her protests off.

"I can't help it, my hands are cold from the weather outside," He countered, his breath tickling her neck slightly. She shivered and Athrun loosened his arms around her, but he didn't let her go completely. The conversation she had with Dearka popped into her mind and she asked briefly, staring up at him.

"When were you going to tell me of this little vacation I'm going to have?" His smile didn't faltered while she raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for his answer.

"What do you mean? You said so yourself, remember?"

Cagalli frowned and tried to recall a time were she she said that she wanted to go on vacation. Her frown deepened, and nothing came to her. Athrun continued seeming not to notice her furrowed brows.

"I spoke with Kira last night, and he said you wanted to meet your mother sometime, preferably within this year of course." His hand slid off from her back and one slipped into her limply one, entwining their hands together. He smiled and brought the back of her hand to his mouth. Cagalli blushed and shook her head slightly.

"And the sooner the better," He said. Now she knew what he meant with, 'she said so herself.'

"That doesn't count as a vacation Athrun," She pointed out, eying him closely. He didn't seem to care what she said and shrugged his shoulders, leading her outside.

"Visit, vacation, leaving. They're all the same to me. Anyway, you're still going. No buts." It wasn't like she was going to complain about leaving, anyway. Not if it meant she was going to be able to see her mother for once. And who wouldn't say yes to no school? They stopped at the carriage and he turned to her. The packing was almost done, and she had a feeling that they were going to leave any minute now.

"This will do you good, and change of scenery will help you deal with things better." She couldn't help wondering what 'things' he was talking about. She glanced up at the sky and cringed at what met her. Dark clouds were moving in and a thunder seemed to be on its way. The air was also a little chilly outside, if you weren't use to it. Luckily after spending a few years here, Cagalli got use to it and any day seemed just the same as the next. Only now and then they'll get really bad weather when waking up, and today seemed to be one of those unlucky days for them. Maybe she should have worn something warmer, now that she thought about it.

"Just to let you know, I'm not going to be going with you," Athrun said looking at her face. She cocked her head sideways, frowned, and asked almost too quickly.

"What, why? I mean, I just-"

"I still need to do a few things here and Kira offered to take you instead, seeing as Via is his mother and all."

"Oh." That she didn't expect. Not that it wasn't such a big train smash or anything.

"Besides wouldn't it be weird if I showed up with Via's long lost daughter and delivered the message that Kira just didn't feel like popping in? And say things like, well 'here she is, just thought I'd send her to you.'" Cagalli shrugged her shoulder at what he said. Athrun did have a valid point there. That would turn out weird in a way. A sudden chill shot through her body.

'_The vision_,' a voiced warned her in the back of her mind. Everything came back to her full force, and why she was even here in the first place. Without even knowing, she space out frowning immensely and looked confused as well. The first thing she remembered was the pian, then agony. The rest was all vaguely floating around in her mind. She couldn't worry about the hunters or the warehouse, even when they were the cause of her 'future death'. A cold hand to her face brought her back slightly. Athrun turned her head to him fully and asked concern definitely laced in his voice.

"Are you okay Cagalli? For a moment you spaced out there and completely went pale in the face."

The blond quickly blinked her eyes and shook her head lightly. Did she really just do what he said without knowing? She'd better watch out for that happening again.

'_The vision, tell him about the vision!_' Her mind pleaded.

"I.." Cagalli wanted to tell him about the vision she had, but for some reason the words got stuck in her throat and she couldn't spit it all out. Looking up at his alarmed face, warning signs came flashing in front of her eyes. What did that mean? Her gut screamed _no_, but why?Why was her gut telling her not to tell him? Why was she having such trouble saying the sentence? It was no big deal, just a vision. Another sign flashed in front of her eyes.

'_Because you died in the vision,'_ a voice said in the back of her mind softly. _'You don't want him to know and worry about you…'_Was that really it? In a way if Athrun did find out, he'll probably cancel the trip and forbid her from going. Maybe ever. But the blond couldn't wait any longer to see her mother and she wanted to go, badly. Seeing her inner turmoil, Athrun asked shaking her non-wounded shoulder.

"Cagalli is there something wrong? What's going on?" He seemed almost uncomfortable asking the next question.

"Did you not get enough blood or something. 'Cause if you want I could giv-" Slapping herself mentally, Cagalli screamed at her mind.

'_Get a grip! He's watching you!' _Her hand flew up and cut him off mid sentence.

"No!" She said and lowered her hands again. "I just- I…" She stammered, searching for the right words. "Cagalli!"

Luckily from afar somebody screamed turning their attention away from each other. Maria waved coming closer to them. Literally everybody was behind her, Kira being the nearest. She threw her arms around Cagalli lightly and hugged her. She drew back and smiled. Athrun seemed irritated that she interrupted them but held his tong respectfully. Somehow Cagalli felt relieved that she didn't have to finish what she wanted to say.

"You're leaving me already!" Maria asked and made a slight pout, clearly stating that she was unhappy.

Cagalli immediately smiled and chuckled, not wanting people to notice that she was down about something. She sneaked a glance at Athrun, and she saw that he wasn't happy that she did that. Maria continued to point a finger at her face and said playfully.

"Now don't you go and forget about me! Just 'cause you've found your real mother, doesn't mean I don't count anymore!" The blond chuckled at her statement, truly being happy that time.

"Wouldn't dream of it at all." Kira cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"Sorry to cut this short," He said and pointed at the sky. "But the weathers coming in fast. If we want to make it there unharmed, we should leave now." Everyone nodded and Maria gave Cagalli one last hug.

"Be save, okay?"She said.

"You too, Maria." Athrun came forward and gave her a hug as well. But he lingered a while longer than Maria. He pulled her closer and whispered into her ear softly.

"Tell me when you get back, okay?" Pulling back he kissed her slightly and stepped back.

"Sure." Despite everything that was said, she couldn't stop a troubling thought from entering her mind.

'_If…I make it back that is.' _She then bowed her head to the rest and got into the Carriage door that Kira held open for her. Lucerne walked to the front and got on as well. Once inside, her entire gut told her not to be in the carriage or leave for that matter. But she ignored it and closed her eyes, sighing inwardly. Her gut was telling her not to tell Athrun and the carriage had doom written all over it. How messed up was that? How is a person suppose to figure out what the right things is to do, when everything is giving you different signals? Kira got in after her and closed the door. And then within seconds they were riding away, the estate disappearing behind them, Lucerne in front, Kira looking out the window, and Cagalli left to shut down her troubling thoughts.

After about an hours ride, the weather finally crumbled under its pressure and rain came pouring down on their carriage. Thunder echoed in the distance when it came in touch with the earth. Sounding like a million buildings all falling down at once. Well for Cagalli it did. Or was she just being stupid and paranoid? For what seemed like the millionth time that hour, she drew the small red curtains of the carriage aside, and glanced nervously outside. The clouds were as black as night, and all the rain made it difficult for the blond to even see thirty meters in front of her. They were going down a muddy dirt road, surrounded by woods all around them. This frustrated her, because she had to keep a look out for anything strange. If not careful, visions could come true, and so she had to be alert at all time. If being on her guard stopped the vision from coming true- or even altering it a bit- then she'd do it any time. She sighed and closed the curtains again, all the while sitting back. All of this didn't go unnoticed by Kira, and he asked raising a curious eyebrow.

"You okay? You've been doing that the whole time since we got into the carriage." The blond glanced up at him. The last thing she wanted was him to start asking questions. Now she had no choice but to lie to him.

"I'm fine," She said, sounding anything but okay. He stared at her hard and it seemed that he wasn't buying her poor excuse for an answer. Kira sighed, and started to fumble with the buttons on his shirt. He frowned and stopped all the sudden. Cagalli found this weird, seeing him looking so annoyed all the time. And it's been happening more frequently as well. Too frequently for her comfort.

"You know what? I'm not even going to bother," He said, and looked at her sternly. She tilted he head to the side a bit.

"If you can't even muster up the courage to tell Athrun what's wrong, then why would you even consider telling me?" Cagalli was taken back by the sudden change of tone in his voice. She frowned for what felt like the tenth time that day.

"Athrun?" She asked becoming confused. "What does he have to do with this?"Cagalli tried to sound like she really didn't know what Kira was talking about. But seeing as karma always had its way with her, Cagalli's voice came out all shaky, and he saw right through her feeble attempt. Almost perfectly, he mimicked his best friends voice and said smiling:

"Tell me when you get back, okay?" Cagalli gaped at him, and couldn't believe what she heard. She stopped herself quickly, before he had a chance to respond to her facial expression.

"Wait a minute, how'd you hear what Athrun said to me-" Kira interrupted her by lifting up his hand. He rubbed his template lightly.

"I may have thought you were dead all this time, but that doesn't mean I'm death." _Nobody said you were death_, well that's what Cagalli said to herself mentally. Words were failing her, and it was a little frustrating to just let him rant at her, and she couldn't muster up one decent answer. He folded his arms in front of his chest and shook his head slightly. Almost disapproving of her.

"In fact everyone outside isn't death as well, but they all still backed off and decided not to ask what was wrong. Except me of course…" For a moment she could have sworn, there was a hint of humour in his tone with that last statement. He relaxed a bit and ruffled his own hair. All Cagalli could do was stare at him, and despise the fact that he could read her so well. Why did he always have to be so good at everything?

His gazed softened and he grinned at her. Oh how she wanted to whack it off of his face right now. She hated herself for being so easy to read. Was it so simple with everyone? Kira didn't seem to notice her inner rambling, and continued.

"Now that that's all cleared and out of the way, why don't you tell me what's bothering you?" The blond sighed and decided to just drop the inner tantrum she was throwing. She knew it would get her nowhere to start a fight with Kira. Cagalli chewed her lip in thought and glanced down at her hands. They were gripping her dress viciously and she immediately released them. She flattened all the crinkles that appeared because of the pressure she placed on the material, all the while in thought. Could she tell him about the vision? Would he turn the carriages around, like she had thought Athrun would do? The blond couldn't be sure, but somewhere in the back of her mind, something told her she could trust him. That he needed to know for some reason. Okay, don't tell Athrun, don't get into the carriage, tell Kira. Any more signals waiting?

'_Oh well, now or never Cagalli'_, She prodded to herself. _'I guess you just have to trust him.' The _Blond bit her lip, showing that she was doubting herself. Kira smiled, urging her onwards.

"It's okay," he said, relaxing his entire posture. "Don't worry, you can trust me." Cagalli felt guilty for causing him to eventually have to say such words. She smiled sadly.

"I know. Things are just a little unstable here on my side, that's all." The brunette seemed interested and cocked an eyebrow.

"How come?" Cagalli could see he was confused and didn't really know what to say to her. He seemed to just go with what she said. He also wasn't forcing a direct answer out of her, but for some reason the blond still felt uncomfortable. Cagalli fiddled with her dress again and asked.

"Do you think it's too early to have a vision?"

"Vision?" Kira frowned and leaned forward, placing his head in the palm of his hand. Leave it for Kira, to be the curios one.

"Yeah," Cagalli nodded and met his gaze seriously. Her voice came out desperate and she didn't care.

"I really want to see mother again. But is it worth the cost of my life?" That caught her brother off guard. She could clearly see it. All kinds of emotions danced past his eyes, each one fighting for a chance to express itself. The curiosity was gone.

"Okay, whoah!" Kira drew his hands up, and shushed her. She ignored him.

"I had a vision Kira," She stated flatly. Cagalli turned and drew the curtains back again. A few droplets of rain fell on her face and she wiped it away, letting the curtain fall back to its original place. She felt sorry for Lucerne in front; he was probably freezing by now. Teeth clattering and all. She glanced at Kira again, and this time he forced her to hold his gaze.

"Where is this all coming from?" The blond sighed. The part that she dreaded the most was busy creeping closer. He let a frustrated breath out and she knew Kira was getting anxious.

"It all happened last night when I was sleeping. I woke up this morning and bam- everything came flooding back to me."

"And you didn't bother to tell anybody this part of news, why?" He sounded irritated with her, but she couldn't blame him.

"I was going to tell Athrun, but the he might have stopped the trip and I might not have not been able to visit Via."Kira sat back and scrunched up his face.

"But why? What could possible be so bad, that he would have to cancel the trip. And I want the truth Cagalli." The blond paused and knew there was no way out of telling him now. She felt nervous and knew Kira was getting irritated with her.

"Cagalli," He said sternly. "What happens in the vision?" She took a shaky breath and answered his question slowly.

"I get killed Kira. Somehow Hunters manage to catch me and before I-we know it, I'm shot dead." She bit her lip and waited for him to explode. But what met her was a blank face and she couldn't identify any emotion at all. Kira opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off immediately.

"You have to understand. I had to take the chance."

"And you couldn't have waited a little longer. Maybe at least 2-3 weeks?"Kira finally managed to choke something out.

"Kira please, I want to go-"

"Not at the cost of your life! Cagalli this isn't just a risk, it's suicide!" He drew her closer to him, hoping it will pull some sense into her.

"When is this happening and where?" She tried to avoid his intense stare, but he had her trapped inside the carriage. Cagalli new he was worried for her safety, in a way even more than she was for her own. The blond sighed and admitted defeat. There was no way she could get out of this. Period.

'Brothers…'

She vaguely remembered the crates all stacked up on each other and the pale walls that surrounded her.

"I remembered seeing wooden crates all stacked on each other and very high walls that were pale white. A warehouse maybe?" She suggested. Kira finally let his intense stare fall and sat back. He moulded her words and what he said next made her panic.

"We're turning this carriage around, and this instant." Her face fell and she pleaded.

"No please Kira! It's just a vision, and visions can be altered." This was exactly what she didn't want to happen. Kira wanting to cancel the trip as well. She didn't want to wait another three weeks to see Via. She wanted to see her now. Yes maybe it's selfish but she couldn't help herself. After so long of never knowing and now to finally have the chance…

"Kira-"

"No Cagalli! I'm not going to take the risk." He pointed his finger at her and she saw he was furious. Kira's ears were actually turning a slight red, and he kept looking at her in a disapproving manner. But still she tried her luck and hoped he would see things her way.

"If we just keep an eye out, we can still-" He cut her off immediately once he figured out where this was going.

"How many Hunters were there?" She opened her mouth to answered, but once again Kira budded in.

"We're two Vampires at the moment, and not nearly strong enough to take on any Hunters. Even if it hurts to admit it myself, If I can't handle them, then do you honestly think you will?" Kira did have a valid point and she understood his reasoning. How could they possibly handle the Hunters on their own, but it wouldn't hurt to try, if it ever came to that though.

"I understand whet you're trying to say-"

"No you don't seem to understand what I'm trying to tell you." Kira crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a fed-up frown.

"I lost you once and I'm not going to take the chance again. I think Via would appreciate my wise decision and so would the rest of our family." Cagalli was stunned to silence. Words failed her and she felt her heart swell up with joy. Kira was only protecting her and he didn't want to see her get hurt again…

She felt like a little child, who figured out what they did wrong and was being scolded now. In a weird way the feeling felt nice and not bad. It felt pleasant to know he cared about her like that and it seemed the others did as well.

"Understand now?" Kira asked and turned to shout something to Lucerne in front.

"Lucerne stop the carriage we need to-" He fell silent and all Cagalli then saw was a blurred figure in front of her followed by the next word ringing in her ears.

"Duck!" She gasped when a pair of hands circled around her back, purposely pushing her to the Carriage's floor. A sudden force collided against the side of the carriage. This made the impact of their fall even worse. The carriage completely fell over onto its one side and came to a sluggish holt. Cagalli coughed breathless, feeling like somebody just gave her one heck of a hard punch in the stomach. Kira seemed to have cushioned most of her fall and she was grateful for that, until she heard him groan in pain next to her.

"Kira?" she hastily asked him, touching his head slightly. Footsteps appeared on the roof of the carriage, now a part that use to be Cagalli's door. She panicked and barely had time to get on her feet. The door above her got ripped open and a series of hands appeared, grabbing onto anything they could find. She tried to avoid them, but a random hand grabbed onto her collar, and in a wink she was pulled into the poring rain, screaming her longs out.

"Kira!" It was a Hunter no less, and to her dismay, all the same as the last time. Only here and there new faces appeared in the crowd, all looking at her. She got a sickening feeling inside of her stomach, and suddenly Cagalli was thrown to the side. The blond fell a few meters away, on the muddy dirt caused by the rain. The ground squished under her weight and all breath escaped her lungs, pain soaring through her entire body from the impact. Her clean dress was now a muddy piece of clothing, drenched from top to bottom. Cagalli pulled herself up from the mud, breathing hard.

"You, stay down!" A hunter came from her right and put his boot on her back, forcing the blond back down again. The mud was too slippery to fight back, therefore Cagalli had no choice but to give in and surrender. She fell back down, a small splash sound made by the water underneath her body. The Hunter wasted no time in binding her hands behind her back. From the way he worked, Cagalli was forced to lie on her side and she nearly went numb for a second. Shinn also towered over her body, giving her nothing but a bitter stare. Her heart raced inside her chest, pounding in her ears a million time harder. The blond was so self-conscious she almost believed they could hear it. The rain kept on poring down, but the thunder had stopped for now. The air felt extra chilly but Cagalli knew it was only her mind paying tricks on her. What an affect fear could have on a person…

Kira was next.

They hurled him out of the carriage, showing no mercy the way they had done with Cagalli. Immediately the brunette was punched in the gut and forced to fall on his knees. A low growl escaped Kira's lips and he tried to fight back, but they all held him firmly on the ground.

"Kira!" Cagalli screamed. She struggled, but with a lot of effort, turned her head around, and took in all her surroundings. But what she saw next brought tears to her eyes.

'_Lucerne.'_

Lucerne was lying in the mud a few meters away from the broken Carriage. He was to far off, for any of them to reach, and laid there motionless, his clothes soaked from the water. His back was facing them and it was obvious that the butler wasn't breathing at all. And that the blood seeping out from under his back, wasn't just coincidence.

Cagalli was too stunned to respond at what she discovered, and merely laid there, a few tears trickling down her cheeks. When she finally had the strength to speak, her words came out all insecure and her lower lip quivered.

"Lucerne… Is h-he dead?" Kira was second to explode, boiling with rage.

"You dare call us monsters when you go and kill a mere old man, who has nothing to do with this!" By sheer luck he forced himself free from the Hunters grip and stormed off at Shinn.

"No, Kira!" Cagalli warned. She eyed Shinn and he merely stood there emotionless. He suddenly drew a gun from his belt and instead of aiming it at her brother, directed it at Cagalli. He took her by the collar and pulled the blond to her feet, placing the gun on her scull.

"One step closer and I kill this thing right here, right now! Trust me you don't want to test my patience." Kira hastily stopped himself and clenched his hands into balls of fists. Cagalli felt herself go weak in the knees and wanted to cry even more. To say she was scared is an understatement. She was terrified for them.

"My orders," Shinn started, "are to capture this thing and take it to my superiors alive." He nodded to the Hunters and they immediately took hold of Kira again. But this time the brunette let them willingly. Shinn continued, pressing the gun harder into Cagalli's head. Kira was hesitant, but held himself back. Cagalli quivered a bit and turned her head away from the gun as far as possible.

"If anyone even tries to stop me, I'm to kill it on site **and **the object that made my mission impossible… If you or this thing try and resist, I will not hesitate to pull the guns trigger." Kira glared at him, his facial expressions that of frustration and inner rage. He shouted.

"What are you going to do with her?" Shinn smirked, pulling one side of his mouth upwards. Shinn then replied; using an old saying everyone was familiar with.

"For me to know and you to find out." Cagalli resented what he said, as well as Kira, but the blond also feared for what was waiting for her. Kira prepared himself to lunge forward again.

"No, don't!" Cagalli begged. The brunette stopped.

"Yeah," Shinn prodded. "Why don't you listen to it." He slipped a hand around her neck and brought Cagalli even closer tot him. She felt her lungs burn a little, screaming for more air.

"If my sources are correct, then your ability comes quit handy at times. Why don't you run along and tell your precious freaks, that their little flowers been stolen from them." Kira was fuming inside, and the only thing keeping him sane was the pleading looks Cagalli gave him.

"Run along now, or else," Shinn warned. He sighed and pulled himself from the Hunters. This was battle already lost and there was nothing he could do. Kira gave one last glance at Cagalli and turned away from her.

"I'll be fine, don't worry!" She shouted after him. Shinn grunted at this and had a devious smile about his mouth. Kira walked over to Lucerne and bended down, feeling his heartbeat. He said nothing and picked the old butler up, gently placing him over his shoulder. In an eyes wink he was gone, leaving a stunned Cagalli behind. The Hunters started to pull her away.

"Notify headquarters!" Shinn shouted. He turned to Cagalli. "We fulfilled our objective…"

The blond feared his words and prayed that they would be able to find her again. She then prayed that Lucerne wasn't really dead, that the tears falling down her cheeks weren't really real. That this whole incident was just a dream. But who was she kidding.

Eventually a vision has to come true.

* * *

**Well how was it? Please review and let me know what you thought about the whole carriage scene! I'd really like to know if I need to improve it more and etc. Were the emotions coming through okay? Or a little too much? R&R! And a special thanks to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter, it means a lot to me!**

***DEVILGIRL101***


	12. When in doubt, start a war

_**(**__**Cowers in a corner.)I'm not even going to explain, you'll just kill me anyway!**_

_**But here is the second last chapter, at last! Expect some drama, and a few rather painful bruises between friends.(And I'm speaking literally here.) **_

_**Athrun: Shinn, keep you filthy hands off Cagalli! (Slaps Shinn repeatedly)**_

**_Disclaimer: I don't own GS/GSD! (Don't sue me!)_**

* * *

_**Chapter 12: **_

_**When in doubt, start a war.**_

The brunette ran breathlessly through the woods. One by one Kira lunged five meters at a time, seeming from human's point of view, like he was blinking from one area to another. His breath came out uneven, followed by a warm misty fog. Over his right shoulder Kira carried a lifeless Lucerne and he was very cautious not to move the butler around too much. Unfortunately the rain hasn't stopped and by now the brunette was drenched, his clothes stuck to him like a second skin. When he glanced at Lucerne, he felt a little uncomfortable. Because to his dismay, the blood stain on his shirt, wasn't his own…

'_They're going to kill me Kira…'_ Cagalli had said. That was the only thought that kept him sain, the only statement that kept him pushing forward, no matter how tired he was. If Kira was to give in to weariness, then his sister would surly not make it because of the stupid mistakes he made. He kept on running, when a tree suddenly appeared before him, and then with swift motions he blinked another five meters away from it. Fortunate for Kira, at a very young age he discovered that his ability is speed. All these years knowing about it, gave him time to perfect it, and put it to good use. Now was as important as any other time to use his ability to its fullest, and gain as much ground as possible.

'_Please don't do anything rash Cagalli. Just hold on…_'Kira thought desperately.

He only prayed that once he got back home to warn the others of what happened, that by some miracle, Cagalli would still be alive…

(Next paragraph)

A deafening scream echoed throughout the Zala's' halls, chaos erupting within the estate. Leonor stood in the main entrance, unable to will any of her muscles to respond. She was at lost for words, yet so many thoughts screamed inside her head, begging to be heard. The main doors banged from side to side, where Kira had burst through just seconds ago. Cold winds blew into the room, immediately changing the warm happy aura into a darkened black place. Just looking at Kira's distressed face, gave way that something was terribly wrong. Not to mention the bloody body he was carrying with him.

"I need medical help now!"The brunette screamed and placed Lucerne down on the ground, yet again careful not to hurt him more than what was needed. The butler's blood now started staining the floor, oozing out slowly, taunting Kira of what awful things had happened. He couldn't take this anymore.

"Now!" He screamed at a stunned Leonor. After a few seconds, sense seemed to have poured back into her stiff body, and slowly she stepped backward until turning around to shout.

"Patrick! Please, hurry!" Her voice came out stained and Kira could tell she was trying very hard not to cry in this situation. Leonor came forward and sat down next to Lucerne. She pulled his head into her lap and had to choke the words out.

"What happened? Why is he-why is he bleed-" She struggled to voice her thoughts aloud and could only stare at all the blood around them. The blood of her beloved friend, Lucerne. Loud footsteps sounded around the corner, as Patrick hastily stepped into the main entrance. He was alarmed at his wife's sudden scream from earlier, Kira saw. Quickly Patrick surveyed the area to see what all the commotion was about, and what he saw was Leonor on the ground, holding onto Lucerne. The smell of blood immediately shot through his nose when he entered and Patrick didn't even need to guess what happened. The scent and body on the floor was prove enough of his suspicions.

"Leonor…" His words came out barely a whisper, so delicate, not wanting to upset his wife any more than she already was. He went to her side and immediately called for a maid's assistance, then pulled her into his arms. The warmth of his body, soothing her, was too much. This finally broke her and giving in, tears flowed freely down Leonor's cheeks. Even a dense fool could have told them that it was already too late. Even if they tried tending to his wounds, still the outcome would be the same. Leonor cried, and felt nothing of it. She would rather feel remorseful for this human, than acting like nothing had happened at all. There were times when Lucerne was like a best friend to her, and then there were times when he was more like a second mentor, a father figure almost. But seeing him like this- something she never imagined-tore at her heart greatly. Sylvia- one of the maids-stepped into the room, carrying a bottle of alcohol and towels. At first she gasped and then quickly fought to hold her composure. She went closer and bent down throwing the alcohol out onto the towels. She took the towels and pressed it to the butler's wounds. That was when Leonor caught her arm and softly pulled it away. She glanced up at Sylvia and shook her head painfully.

"There's no need." Her voiced fractured under pressure while she looked at Lucerne. "There is nothing we can do, when it's already to late."

"What the hell happened Kira? And I want every last detail!" Patrick's suddenly shouted surprising everyone. He always came forth as a clam and rational man. Was pressure getting the better of him as well? He stood up shoulders broad, eyes blazed with fury, demanding an answer from Kira.

"Well?" He demanded again.

"I'm not sure, alright!" Kira countered, resting his face onto his hands. He let out a frustrated breath and for a second there even growled because of all the problems that were surfacing.

"Everything happened so fast, the next thing I knew they pulled us out of the carriage into the rain!" The brunette pulled at his hair, feeling hopeless to the bone. For all he knew Cagalli could already be dead by now, buried under the ground. Or more like the hunters would do, burned beyond recognition.

"Did the hunters attack you?" Patrick asked again, this time taking precaution not to raise his voice too much. Kira was already having a lot of problems as it seemed.

"I knew this was bad! I should never have listened to her pleas," Kira continued ranting and got up from the floor.

"Now look where this brought us!" He drew his hand through his wet hair, and glanced at Lucerne. His voice suddenly saddened and closing his eyes, he persuaded himself to calm down and think rationally.

"Especially me… I can't bare another death. Not from the same person."

"Kira… Where is Cagalli?" A calm voice-or so everyone thought- brought everyone's attention to its beholder. The one question that was on everyone's mind –the question that no-one had time to ask yet- finally came forward. The brunette opened his eyes, and turned to stare directly at emerald orbs, seeming ready to tear him apart. There was only one person who could mask his voice that well, and Athrun was such person. Kira could see he was furious but held himself back with a lot of effort.

"Kira..." Athrun warned again. It was evident that he wanted to know exactly where Cagalli was, that Kira had better have good news.

"I'm sorry, Athrun," Kira said and stood up. He had no 'good news' to tell and every second that ticked by was precious time he was wasting. Time that he could have spent looking for Cagalli. This get- together was going to have to be short and simple. A simple as, "Cagalli is missing and we need to find her immediately, or else the hunters will kill her." Well that was what he wanted to say, but the look in Athrun's eyes had him faltering a bit. So instead he prodded himself that everything was going to be okay, and that Athrun was not going to rip him to shreds when he told him about Cagalli.

He sighed and finally answered.

"We were ambushed by the hunters, and I couldn't stop them Athrun. They took Cagalli right from under me." All he felt next was the air being punched out of his stomach, followed by Leonor's pleading voice.

"Athrun, no, please!"

(Next Paragraph)

Slowly she imagined latching on to his smooth, caramel neck, snapping it in half. The blonde could almost taste his blood on her tongue, the way it will feal flowing down her burning neck.

'_Shinn.'_

That name along made her blood boil from anger, and at the same time had shivers of fear running down her spine. Shinn scared her half to death, being so close to him- yet at the same time she had trouble containing herself. Cagalli flinched when he tightened the rope around her arms once more. Before she could stop herself, a growl escaped her throat and she felt her canine teeth grow.

"Quit it. As much as I want you to be one, you're not a mutt." He pushed her from the back, forcing her forward in the chair- if that was even possible.

"This is just a waste of my time," Shinn mumbled. He went to work on tying her legs as well. The blonde almost gasped at the pain he caused. It felt like her blood was being cut off. Why did he have to be so harsh? Was she really such a threat that he had to tie her up this much? The hunter ignored all the pain so evident on her face and went over to a crate off to the blonde's right. Cagalli found herself following his every move, cursing him at every step he took. He picked up a silver pistol and proceeded to load it with bullets. Alarms went off in her head and sweat suddenly trickled down her face.

'_Is this it? He isn't really going to kill me now? Now way!' _Her breath became fast, her chest moving at the same pace. Shinn –doing what she didn't expect- placed the pistol in his holster. Cagalli lowered her head and sighed quietly, but Shinn still noticed her relieve. She held her shaking hands even tighter, wanting to slap herself repeatedly. Everything she saw in her vision was coming true. The crates, the hunters-she listened – were walking around, guarding the warehouse, and then Shinn, readying himself to shoot her into infinity and beyond. She heard a frustrated sigh.

"Do you even know why you're still alive? Why I haven't bothered killing you yet?" Shinn stood tall with his shoulders broad, arms folded over his chest. He seemed so huge now compared to the blonde. Or was it just because she was sitting down and he wasn't?

"How should I know what goes on in that sick mind of yours," she replied. Cagalli surprised herself by how normal her voice sounded. There was even a hint of disgust in it.

"Sick mind huh?" Shinn ignored her obvious insult and pulled himself onto the crate just sitting there. He stared at her with his ruby eyes, like it was the most normal of things to tie a woman up and kill her afterwards.

"We should kill her instead. No don't be absurd! She could be of much value to us. Never, she's a Vampire! She'll kill us the first chance she gets!" Shinn said all the while acting like his hand were a mouth speaking the comments. He stopped and smirked.

"Seems like headquarters don't know what to do with you. Although it pisses me off I can't do anything about their decision. You wane know what they decided?" Cagalli said nothing. Shinn mouth more comments with his hand.

"Keep her here. Lure the others in and kill them all. It will never work! Take her with us, exploit her ability. Use it against her own race…"

"Why are you doing this?" That was all that Cagalli managed to say. Hearing him speak so calmly of their plans scared her. They were going to use her as some tool.

"I have done nothing!" she suddenly screamed. Why did they have to treat vampires like this?

"Nothing?" Shinn lowered his hand and glared at her. "Just being who you are, is a big mistake. Monsters should be killed and banished from this world. **Only** humans may prevail." He spoke so highly of humans it sickened Cagalli.

"Monster. The only monster I see now is you. You and your race!" Cagalli tried leaning forward in her chair, persuading herself that every inch closer, was an inch closer to snapping his neck off.

"You fear us because we are different, because we don't live off of human resources!"

'_Well, in some kind of way,_' she thought angrily to herself. She must have sounded so stupid saying that, but she knew that Shinn knew what she was talking about. And she wasn't talking about blood.

Shinn kept glaring at her, but kept his mouth closed for once. Cagalli was surprised he hadn't tried to shut her up yet. It almost seemed like there was a glint of amusement in his eyes. The blonde was hesitant, but decided to push her luck with him. Slowly her hands stopped shaking and all that stayed behind was her anger and frustration.

"Just because we're different doesn't mean we can't live alongside humans. You're dense when it comes to keeping peace and don't know what the hell your causing." Cagalli smirked, feeling so much better. "But then again, what can you expect from humans? You'll never mach up to us." Shinn jumped off the crate and came closer to Cagalli. His face was cold and showed no emotion. That alarmed the blonde a bit. Maybe she pushed it a little too far this time? He stunned her for a moment with his next move. Shinn stood in front of her and started clapping his hands.

"Marvellous speech I must say," Shinn smirked. He's mocking her, Cagalli realized. "Touching, I guess. But you forgot one thing…" His face suddenly hardened and the next thing she knew, Shinn slapped her across the face with his bare hand.

"Who gave you the right to speak so highly?" he hissed near her ear. The blond felt her face sting where he hit her and told herself mentally that she deserved that one. What came over her to suddenly speak like she knew the answers to everything?

Shinn backed away and kept staring at her. All she could do was suck it up and keep her head held high.

"Nicol! Start preparing the area. We're moving out pretty soon. Little miss monsters friends will show in a while." He turned away just in time for Cagalli to see Nicol appearing from behind two crates stacked above each other. Had he been standing there the whole time? The blond noticed that he was carrying two cans of yellow liquid in his hands. Shinn took one of the cans and started to pour it onto the ground, making sure he covered every inch around the blond as well. She caught a whiff of the smell and gasped.

"You're going to set this place ablaze?" Shinn glanced up and smirked. Cagalli frowned. She could have sworn she never saw this part in her vision. Don't get her wrong. It's not that she wanted to be killed by a single bullet; it just seemed a little more humane than burning her to death… Slow, painful death. She shivered. When all else fails, turn to the very person people believe you to apparently hate.

'_Oh, God. Help me.' _Wait a minute.

"But if you set this place ablaze, then they'll just get me out before I burn! How does that work?" She looked from the one hunter to the other. A sarcastic snort came from Nicol, and he spoke while pouring out more liquid.

"Obviously," He said rather coldly. "That's why we got Dynamite. You –the damsel in distress- will lure them in." He stopped what he was doing and pointed at them both. "Then we-the hunters- will blow the place up." Nicol screwed the can shut and took the other one from Shinn.

"Stupid plan if you ask me," Shinn commented and came closer to Cagalli. He bent down to her level and pulled out a piece of cloth. "I'd rather have killed you now, and pick them off one by one later. But no." He roughly pulled her head forward; Cagalli flinched and bared her teeth at him.

"So to stop you from blabbering it all out, precautions need to be taken."

"You'll never get away with thi-" Cagalli was silenced immediately when he harshly pushed the cloth into her mouth and tied it around her head. He hurt her with that action and the blonde quickly bit the cloth with her teeth, hard. Anything to get rid of her pain and anger. Shinn slightly patted the left side of her face, before standing up again.

"Don't get too furious, okay. We wouldn't want your rage blowing up the place before the rescue team showed up."

'_Son of a bit-_'She clutched her hands tightly even drawing some of her own blood by accident. Cagalli was furious and screamed at them but all that came out were muffled sound through the cloth. Shinn ignored her and turned away

"Let's go."Nicol nodded his head and walked ahead, followed by Shinn. All Cagalli did was kept screaming at them, tugging at her ropes every now and then. Her face was crimson and veins were evident in her neck.

'_Damn you all to hell! Monsters! Murderers! Arg!' _Through all her screaming a small tear trickled down her face, disappearing into the cloth.

With time Cagalli lowered her head and sighed in defeat.

(Next paragraph)

"Just like you asked, I checked all records concerning warehouses in this area and only these three came up." Mu la Flaga sighed and pointed to three red dots on an old crinkled map he had pulled out of some bookshelf earlier. The map consisted of all the town houses and rural areas around it.

Mu glanced up and made sure he still had everyone's attention. When nothing was said he continued, every now and then pointing to the map.

"Two of the warehouses –I researched- are still being used till this day for storage purposes. And then the third warehouse-" Mu moved his finger up a narrow road on the map, and stopped at a faded red dot-"Abandoned for nearly three years now," he stated.

"My guess is the Hunters had established their headquarters here and we're most likely to find Cagalli there as well." Mu chuckled nervously all of the sudden and glanced up at everyone again. He ruffled his blond hair and scratched his neck at last.

"But then again my hunch could be wrong. As in they might actually all be at the other warehouses-disguised as random workers, and Cagalli could be there- leading us all into a possible ambush and ultimately to our deathbed."

"Great," Yzak huffed, clearly frustrated. He stood across Dearka and purposely glared at the professor.

"So, what. We just waltz up to this warehouse in hopes that this girl might be there."

"Cagalli," Dearka corrected him. Yzak rolled his eyes and ignored him. Yzak was never one to learn names of people he didn't know all that well. And he wasn't going to start today. The grey head crossed his arms and changed his footing.

"Pretty risky and stupid don't you think. What if it was a trap-we'd be walking straight into the barrel of their pistols and the Hunters will be smiling all the way." It was obvious Yzak didn't like what Mu had to say, but still decided to piss everyone off and complain about it.

"Got any other ideas smartass?" A cheeky voice came from the double coach at the other side of the room. Athrun glared up at Yzak, tired of his attitude towards all Mu's efforts. At least the professor was trying to come up with some solution as to where Cagalli might have ended up. What was Yzak doing? Complaining like always. Why the blue head still got worked up-even though Yzak always did it- not even Athrun knew. Through the whole meeting he had kept quiet, listening to everything Mu had to say and tried sucking in as much information as he could. He did all this while now and then rubbing at his sore cheek.

'_Damn Kira, got me good there. Who knew that sincere person could pack such a punch-' _He glanced over at Kira who sat next to him. The brunette was definitely mad at his friend for tackling him. But then again they were both on edge because of this whole incident. Nobody blamed them for wanting to let of some steam, well except for Leonor. For a moment there she actually freaked out and thought they were really going to kill each other.

'_As if we'll ever be able to do that to one another,'_ Athrun thought looking back at Yzak. Mu, sensing that Yzak was about to make some kind of rude remark at Athrun, cut in just in time.

"Enough!" Wait that wasn't my shrill voice, Mu blinked. Everyone turned their gazes at Leonor and Patrick who stood in the doorway. Even Kira looked up from his lap and immediately noticed Leonor's red, swollen eyes.

'_She must have been crying even more that before,'_ he noted sadly. Leonor came into the room and stopped next to Mu.

"We don't have time to fool around and get angry at each other!" she said rather harshly.

'_You're doing exactly just that,'_ Athrun wanted to add, but thought better of t. Most of the time she kept looking from him to Kira, but both of them didn't falter that much.

"While we fight and argue somebody precious to us all is being held captive and need our help immediately!" She took in a long, shaky breath and tried to calm herself more. Patrick placed a and on her shoulder and asked if he had rather take over.

"I'm fine," Leonor sighed."Just frustrated." She looked up at everyone, and continued with a stern voice.

"As things stand we have no choice but to go to the most obvious warehouse and search for Cagalli there. If we're lucky she will be there, but so will the hunters."

"What will we do about them then?" Dearka asked. "It's not rocket science-they'll be waiting for us there." Leonor nodded and Athrun, as well as Kira decided to come near the table.

"As we speak, Noble families are coming from all the areas around us. Maria and Uzumi are still busy spreading the word. They'll all be here in less than an hour, maybe two."

"An hour!" Athrun objected. "By that time they'll have killed Cagalli and-"

"The other families have heard our pleas and are wiling to lend a helping hand. They'll be bringing reinforcements soon and once that arrives…" Patrick continued for her.

"We'll be seizing this area as our own for once and for all." Dearka took a minute to digest it all and frowned. He decided to voice his thoughts than keeping them to himself.

"As in a battle over territory? Like a war?"

"Of course idiot," Yzak said on impulse. Patrick glowered at Yzak, not really enjoying that attitude of his. In the meantime Kira went over to the window and glanced outside.

"We're hopping it wont end up in a full scale war." Patrick added. "But the chances are slim. We vampires have never took the Hunters on directly before, and this fight could stir up a big-"

"Mom?" Kira said suddenly.

"Mom?" Dearka frowned. "What's a 'mom'?" he asked again, turning to the brunette near the window. Leonor came over and smiled for the first time in a long while. Her face seemed to lit up and suddenly her eyes had a certain glimmer to it, but not 'I just cried glimmer'. A soft happy one that could make any mad person calm down.

"She's here Patrick!" Leonor said, turning to her husband. "She came just like we asked!" Patrick nodded and before he could respond Kira was out the door running down the stairs. Yzak shook his head, and mad a certain disgusted sound with his mouth.

"Drama queen."

"Cut the guy some slack," Athrun snapped all the sudden. "He hasn't seen his mother for quite some time you know. Heck I won't be able to live long without mine either." Leonor squealed, clasped her hands together in front of her chest, and cooed at her son.

"Athrun, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to your mother this far! Come here…" She walked over to Athrun and stretched her hands out, and before the boy could react, Leonor had him in a tight hug.

"I'm glad to find you appreciated my gesture, but really you can let go now." Leonor ignored him and hugged him even tighter than before. Athrun sighed while the rest just shook their heads. Well at leat he accomplished one thing-and everyone was thankful for it- Leonor seemed to be in a much higher spirit that before.

* * *

**Well? I must say I had a hard time writing this chapter. Absolutely nothing came to me! And I want to apologize for that. (Making you wait so long, how cruel of me!) Didn't expect Athrun to start a fight with Kira, did ya? I just figured they can't always be happy dappy with each other and smile every damn day. Like as in, "Oh here is Cagalli Athrun, you can have."**

"**Why thank you Kira, I appreciate it so much. I'll drink her dry if you don't mind."(That's not the way I work.) Tension is more my style. (Smile)**

**But anyway, a review would be nice and please tell me what you think? And maybe even what would be nice to put in as a last resort.*****


	13. Traitorous decisions

**New Chapter! And I am so sorry for the long wait. I tried getting something onto paper but had a very difficult time in doing that. I have made my mind up and want to mention that this story can't and will not end in this chapter. I'm going to be splitting it up in two arc's and plan on having a couple more chapters posted. At the end of the chapter you'll realize why I say this story can't end just now. And I'm going to be asking you to please, if you can, to give me ideas on what I can use further. But you'll only be able to do that after reading this chapter. Something big is going to happen in the next chapter, I wanted to make it happen in this one but that would have been another two thousand words or more. So no, too long of a chapter then. I don't own GS/GSD**

**Enjoy! And again sorry for the wait, but I am back!**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Traitorous decisions **

"You sure we're trying to avoid a war here? 'Cause all I'm seeing are lots and lots of people looking rather eager to get a piece of the action…" The glares sent Dearka's way had him flinching and backing away a little. He stood with a few of the Zala family as well as Yzak, observing as one after the other, carriages pulled up , including women riding bareback on horses.

Patrick didn't really know how to respond to his question, to him all the people were a little intimidating as well, but it was for a cause that would definitely benefit them all. So he ended up glaring at him as well. He sighed.

"The Hunters are strong, even with this entire group helping us, I still have a feeling that we will be greatly outnumbered. And I don't want to dampen your mood, but that might actually be the reality we're facing." A womanly, and familiar voice at that, spoke up from behind them

"But there is nothing wrong in keeping our hopes up and wishing for the best."Leonor came forward, smiled at them all and took hold of Patrick's hand. She turned her head to regard all the people who started forming crowds around them.

"We just have to," she stated again. If she were to guess, Leonor would say there was at least a hundred of their kind gathering around. The people in front of her ranged from boys seventeen of age all the way through to women of twenty nine of years. Some were tall and some were just as small as Cagalli. But one thing stood out from them all.

Something that they all had in their genes.

Beauty. Striking eyes of all colors met hers and nodded their perfectly shaped heads at her. Some of them even resembled a certain blonde and had her attention turning back to the problem at hand. Wasting no more time than what was needed, Patrick called all the parents forward for a briefing on what was going to happen and what they needed to do. The rest of the people were instructed to get themselves prepared, and that included mostly weapon-wise.

"Leonor, Patrick. We heard your pleas and came as quickly as was possible." A scruffy old man stepped forward and shook hands with Patrick and introduced his wife.

"This is my wife Amelia Cordix." He gestured to Amelia with a rather plump finger before running his hand through his disheveled grey hair. "It's a pleasure to meet you all." Amelia stood five feet five. Rather short for a mature vampire; but she had a strong build to her body. Firm arms hung on both sides of her body and from the way her dress clung to her waist; she could easily be described to have an hourglass figure. Her hair, a pale brown, stopped just under her ears. Almost like Yzak's hair, Patrick mused. Leonor glanced at her blue eyes. Amelia's whole posture was perfect and she definitely stood proud.

"The pleasure is all ours sir Cordix," Leonor bowed and smiled at him. Strangely enough the man wasn't noticeably beautiful, but somehow he managed to keep this aura hovering around him. An aura that demanded respect and that definitely was the case. His body was rather oddly built, plainly put he was not thin.

"My name is John by the way," he continued and stood to the side so the other guests could quickly introduce themselves.

Patrick hastily bowed and acknowledged them all then went straight to business. Athrun stood to the side as well as Yzak and Dearka. They were also still waiting in anticipation for their orders. As things stood now, it was said to be a very risky move to just barge into the warehouse, with no order to their group. So another plan still needed to be conjured and put into play. For one last time Patrick gathered everyone's full attention and then continued.

"First off, I'll need you to know where the warehouse is stationed." He pulled out a folded map from his trousers pocket – the previous one that Mu had dug out from a random shelf. He passed it around and suggested them to have a look at it. The more familiarized they were with their surroundings, the better.

"The red dot in the right-hand corner represents the warehouse that we'll be traveling to. It's about an hour's ride from here." Patrick gave a small smile and added. "Well, depending on what your ability is." The rest of the group chuckled a bit and peered at the map again. John glanced up from the map, when he was sure that most of the information got memorized somewhere in his head.

"So we can't just go over and barge in?"he asked, looking at Patrick.

"No. We can't be sure, but the hunters could be stationed all around the warehouse. It would be like asking for them to spot us." Athrun sighed rather loudly, more that he meant and unfortunately it caught most of their attention. He had to speak up.

"What else can we do, but waltz up to them? We can't go underneath- as absurd as it sounds. We can't send someone in to do undercover work, because we don't have that kind of time to waste. And we definitely can't go over the warehouse." As much as it as it bothered Patrick, Athrun's words rang true. They didn't have any other option but to just storm the place and work with what gets thrown their way. It was like gambling with their lives, knowing that the outcome would be appalling, and he didn't like the plan one bit. Patrick sighed and looked at John and his wife then drew his attention to the rest of the crowd.

"I for one don't like storming into something without proper decisions made, but now we don't have that casualty." Without so much as a pause he turned the Athrun, Yzak and Dearka.

"We will travel to the warehouse –armed and ready for attack. I want you to divide the whole group into three smaller groups. Make sure that all the groups are equal in strength and weapons, and brief them in on the instructions." They nodded and headed off to do what was asked of them. Leonor decided to take the lead and held everyone's gazed.

"Are there any objections?" she asked sternly. When none was voiced she noticed a small smile broke out on Amelia's lips.

"Then we must hurry," Amelia spoke, stepping forward. Excitement could be heard in her voice, or maybe it was anticipation.

"We will take back what was once ours." With every word that she spoke, it got louder, until she was nearly screaming at the top of her lungs.

"The hunters will wish that they never pushed us around, harmed our children and killed off our families!"Many people joined in on her chant, raising their hands in the air. Some were standing aside being the more collective ones' of the group. But all the while they still admired Amelia's courage to speak up like that.

"This will be the era of Vampires!"

In the distance Kira stood and could only observe the people in front of him. Via, his mother joined him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. She sighed and without knowing, both of them thought the same thing. It was troublesome to them. To see so many people ready for a fight, as if they had lost family members as well. And to their dismay there were eyes they saw, filled with hate. Even some with so much hurt that they couldn't even bear to keep looking at them. These people were all victims of unfortunate events; that much they both could conclude. But the main question was:

"Would they be able to stop once the fighting starts?"

xxx

The blonde was struggling again.

"Does she ever give up, or is it in their genes to resist things thrown their way?"Nicol asked. Shinn glanced up from the document he was reading and peered out the window to his left. He glanced at Cagalli from the room above, noting that she had managed to move a few inches closer to some crates. He shook his head and tried to ignore her.

"It doesn't matter. She'll be dead in a few minutes anyway. What she does now isn't of concern to me. Just make sure she doesn't make a break for it somehow." Shinn turned his head just in time to see Nicol glare at him for a brief moment. He mustn't have been happy at what he said.

"That rope is tight as can be, there is no way she can break free from it," Nicol argued, irritation evident in his voice. He switched his footing and folded his arms tightly in front of his chest.

"I never said it wasn't tight enough. I just said make sure there aren't any slipups before the actual fight begins." Shinn stood up and closed the document he read, signaling the end of that discussion. Nicol had no choice but to shut his trap, that was if he valued his life in any way. There was a knock on the door, and both of them turned to it, glad for the distraction. Or else maybe another argument would have broken out again. They tended to get into those a lot these days, and Shinn of all couldn't understand why.

Rey entered, immediately catching on to the tension in the room. He closed the door after him and smirked.

"Not fighting again, are we?" There was a glint of humor in his eyes as he spoke. Both of them knew that Rey took pleasure in others misfortune.

"Hardly," Shinn commented, sarcastically. He walked to the window and peered out of it, having no choice but to focus his attention on the blonde below him. It was the only thing he had to entertain himself while waiting for their final orders. Rey came closer and stood beside him. He seemed to be observing Cagalli as well, his head slightly tilted. Absentmindedly he touched his forehead- the very place where she had hit him with her head, not so long ago. He shook his head and voiced his thoughts.

"Even in that stupid state, she still manages to look striking. Too bad we'll have to kill her don't you think?"

"I'm not interested in voicing my opinion on her sex appeal, so just drop the topic. That girl is more trouble alive than she is dead." Shinn fully turned to Rey. He gave him a hard look. "You'll do good to remember that, trust me." Rey shrugged his shoulder, brushing his cold stare off.

"I'm just saying."

"You heard from headquarters yet?" Nicol asked from the other side of the room. Rey turned his attention away from Cagalli and answered.

"Yeah, actually I have. We can go forth with the plan. Headquarters wants us to station all the men around the warehouse and lure them all in." Shinn glared at him.

"And your only telling us now?" he growled.

"Because you asked." Rey was really starting to get on his nerve, he even contemplated wether hitting his face or not. Luckily Nicol saw this and quickly stepped in before Shinn actually decided to punch him for real.

"Knock it off Rey," he warned. The door suddenly burst open, and another hunter came running in. He was breathing hard and uneven. Startled, they all turned to him and noticed sweat trickling down his brow. Shinn stepped forward.

"Report."

The hunter respectively stood in front and quickly relayed his information.

"Vampires spotted two and a half kilometres away. All armed with pistols and woman are also among them sir." A snort came from Rey and he received a stern look from Shinn. Didn't he learn anything from the previous encounter with Cagalli? Their women were almost at the same- if not at the same level as them.

"Numbers?" Shinn asked further.

"If I were to guess, there would be about a hundred of them sir." Shinn inwardly cursed and took his pistol out from his holster. He quickly checked to see if it was loaded and ordered Nicol to rapidly station the men, after he ordered the hunter in front of him to get a move on. Rey quickly cut in, strolling to the door.

"Already took care of the men," he smirked and waited for them at the door. He held it open while Nicol walked passed him and Shinn followed. For a moment Shinn paused a bit when he heard what Ray had said. He decided to just ignore his growing discomfort, but that still didn't stop the following to run through his mind. Shinn was still deciding whether he was pleased that Rey already stationed his men, or peeved that he did it without his consultation. With that, they all took off and positioned themselves around the warehouse, adrenaline kicking in and thickly pumping through their veins.

xxx

What better way was there to explain their battle, than a few experienced people, including a hand full of inexperienced teenagers, literarily riding up to the warehouse, pistols at the ready, and a deafening war cry following in their step. Around the warehouse crates were stacked on one another, previously used to store some sort of object. They gave a sort of protection to the hunters and vampires as well. There were also trees here and there, towering over some random small wooden shacks around the area. Within minutes chaos broke lose outside the warehouse, sounds of pistols going of, ringing painfully in everyone's ears. Groups of hunters were aiming there guns at approaching vampires, only to be kicked down by another group of unseen vampires from behind. In the mist of it all was Mu and Dearka taking down one hunter after the other, shattering their bodies in one blow. At first it all seamed too easy for Dearka, who wasn't even breaking a sweat.

A hunter came running at him and he barely dodged the outstretched gun aimed at his chest. The shot rang out as Dearka fell to the ground. For a brief moment smugness creped on the hunters face, clearly pleased that he had almost gotten Dearka there. The blonde cursed himself for actually letting this human get so close to him. He quickly got his bearings and with little to none energy, used his right foot to sweep the hunter off of his balance, before twisting his leg in a very painful way. The hunter cried out and Dearka quickly took out his pistol and aimed, wanting to end this guy's torment. He wavered for a bit and ended up knocking him out instead.

"Dearka duck!" A stern voiced bellowed behind him. The blonde turned just in time to see Patrick lifting his pistol and shoot. His body reacted on its own and he felt his body hit the ground just in time, before a bullet swivelled straight through the tips of his curly hair.

"You're crazy!" he breathed from the ground. Barely passing him a glance Patrick went on and got into another hand to hand battle with another hunter. But that didn't stop him from commenting.

"If you don't kill them, they'll kill you. Get a hold of yourself!" A little stunned at the comment, Dearka shook his head from troubling thoughts appearing, and got up from the ground. If he didn't start pulling some weight, something bad was going to happen.

'_I can't go around knocking them all out. Eventually that guy whose legs I broke is going to heal and come back for vengeance. I have to kill them…' _As much as his stomach churned thinking about killing them, Dearka still had to go through with it. For some reason it suddenly troubled him to hold a gun. He was actually going around really killing them for once. All his life it's been minor matches, scaring hunters off and throwing a few mealy punches. But never had he, Dearka, thought that things were going to turn out like this. The worst he had expected was hunters killing off vampires who really did go around killing humans for the heck of it, not them actually holding one captive and purposely wanting to start a fight. He was just that naive; thinking that things were going to stay like they were forever. He heard boots crunch on the grass behind him. Though these boots rhythm weren't desperate or fast paced like all the other hunters he had encountered before.

"Well, I finally meet one of the big boys!" Dearka's heartbeat quickened a bit and he turned in the direction of the voice, staring at his next opponent.

"Strange," the hunter mused. "I would have figured you'd be more masculine up close." A smug smirk grazed Rey's face. Rather offended by the remark Dearka gave the hunter a once over, noting his long blonde hair.

"Your one to judge…" he commented dryly. He examined Rey's forehead and remarked.

"Looks like somebody learned a lesson the other day. Didn't they teach you to be weary of vampires?" There was a pause. "Including female vampires…" Rey shrugged and waved him off.

"Yeah, I get it. The blonde actually dropped a bomb on me the other day. I'll admit, I didn't expect that to happen." He smirked again and took out his pistol. Dearka quickly took a defensive stance but Rey surprised him by throwing the pistol aside, letting it drop on the grass.

"What are you getting at?" Dearka asked, curiously. Rey answered all too happily.

"I saw you earlier, knocking my men out. Let's make this a fair fight, just for your sake, 'cause what's the fun in shooting a vampire who won't do the same to me?" That statement took a blow to Dearka's pride. This guy had better not be mocking him for not killing his men. The blonde swiftly threw his pistol to the side and before Rey could even defend himself, lunged at him and bared his fangs.

xxx

"Shoot him! Shoot him down!" One bullet after the other swivelled after Kira, while he took advantage of his ability and literarily jumped from one tree top to another. Though it was save to say he did it with as much poise and grace a ballet dancer would muster. He took caution not to stay in one tree for more than a few seconds before going on to the next. This confused the hunters and occasionally took them off guard and frustrated them more than anything. Kira chuckled a bit but felt a stinging pain on his side. While still in the tree, he checked on the hunters and saw that they were still trying to locate his new hiding place. He took the time to examine his left hip and found blood staining his side and some fabric torn.

'The bloody bastards actually managed to hit him with a bullet!'

"There! I see him." A hunter shouted and all the previous followers glanced up in his direction.

"Great," Kira muttered. "Just what I needed." They immediately started shooting at him and he just barely made it to the next tree before being hit again. Only this time he bumped into a surprised visitor on the way.

"What the-ah!" The other person gasped, clearly shocked that his position was unveiled so quickly. The next thing happened so fast it shocked Kira a bit. He got stuck under the – on close encounter- clearly a hunter. Only he had a hood over his head. A knife was being forced to Kira's throat, but he barely held his own by pushing the knife away with both his hands. The hunter's hands were rather delicate he noted. His hands slipped a bit and the brunette felt the tip of the knife nip at his skin.

"You know, you're pretty strong for a hunter…" he breathed out, finally getting the knife away from his throat. The other person growled, frustrated that he was losing some ground. Slowly Kira was getting the hunter off of him and with one final push on his side, sent the hunter almost falling out of the tree. Only now had he a chance to notice a rather impressive bow hanging on one of the branches to his right. The hunter came too and his hood slid off from his head. Kira gaped and couldn't believe what he saw. A girl with striking violet eyes glared back at him. She had oak brown hair, flowing down her back, only they were loosely tide.

"You're a girl?-" She took a loose strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear, smirking at him.

"You'll find that I'm more than just some human girl." Her words came out stone cold, sending a shiver down Kira's spine. But what disorientated him the most was that when she smirked at him, two perfectly white fangs peaked out from under her upper lip.

'She's a vampire. But then why-'

"Shiho. Remember that, "she stated while taking the bow he saw earlier in her hands. He already anticipated what she was about to do next. She wanted to hit him in the face and what could he do but let her. Kira couldn't get himself to stop her and strike back. That wasn't like him. The next thing he felt was a bloody hard punch to his nose and it sent him flying out of the tree, landing rather loudly on the ground. All the air got forced out of his lungs and he closed his eyes trying to regain himself. Girl or not she could hit.

"Kira!" Yzak luckily wasn't too far away and came running closer. He dodged a hunter and had no difficulty in breaking his neck. Shiho jumped from the tree and aimed her bow at him. She reached behind her back to take an arrow out from her bag. The only thing that met her was an empty back where a bag was supposed to be. She gasped and glanced back up at the tree, remembering she had taken it off there. To her confusion the bag wasn't there either. But then where the hell was it?

"Yzak, here!" Kira shouted suddenly, he got up from the ground and threw something at the silver-headed boy.

"Careful! She's a vampire just like us."Yzak caught the bag, clearly just as shocked as Kira had been the first time he found out. But he got over it far easier than Kira had.

"Looks like you're all out of arrows," he commented. Shiho shook from rage and swiftly took out a knife from her boots and threw it at Yzak.

"That doesn't mean that I want to be one!" Yzak didn't expect her to react so quickly and wasn't fast enough to get out of the way. The knife's blade graced his arm and he dropped the bag, hissing in pain.

The loathing look in her eyes held them both at bay and had them confused more than anything.

"Why fight against us when you're one of us? That's stupid!"Yzak shouted at her. He gripped his wounded arm and kicked the bag of arrows away from them.

"I'll take care of this Kira," Yzak said, turning to him. "Go help the others clear a path for Athrun to get inside the warehouse. We don't have all the time in the world."

"Right," the brunette nodded and without hesitation used his ability to get moving again. He knew Yzak had a better chance at handling Shiho then he could ever hope to do.

'_Not to be rude or anything, but you seem more like the type that doesn't take crap from anybody. Not even a girl.' _

Shiho growled and took out another knife. She twirled it around her hand but never left her eyes on him. The brunette hated to admit the next thing, but the way he kept her gaze with those light grey eyes of his, made her uncomfortable. Though she still debated wether it was a good uncomfortable or bad uncomfortable.

'_Wait, what am I thinking?'_

"Why?" She stopped twirling the knife around and looked at him.

"I have my reason for fighting, and so do you. But it doesn't concern you or anyone else."

"We all have a right to know why one of our own is betraying us and fighting with the hunters. Clearly they must be holding something against you, or-"

"That's none of you're business!" She heaved the second knife at him again and this time Yzak caught it with his hands. He looked up alarmed and readied himself to attack the girl.

To his shock Shiho was gone. Yzak scanned the area, searching for her fleeing body but didn't see her at all. He glanced back down at the knife he held in his hands and decided to put it away for now. The knife was engraved with rather beautiful markings and he instantly had a feeling that it was a gift from someone to her. He smirked, knowing all to well that like a bee drawn to honey, this girl was going to come back for this specific knife.

* * *

**Well what do you think? This chapter mainly focuses on the feelings of all the characters and what they were busy with during the attack. I also introduced Shiho as a character, and yes, she's a vampire. With time you'll find out why she's with the hunters. Next chapter focuses on Athrun and Cagalli, with a bit of Shinn mixed into all the drama that is to follow. The guy does something that not even I thought he would end up doing…**

**So yeah, please read and review! :)**

**Ps: I'm going to be changing my pen name to AngelGirl101 soon so keep an eye out for that. (I guess I had a change of heart.)**


	14. Guilty conscience

**Whoo-hoo! A new chapter! And it didn't take me a whole year to write! (Looks away guiltily) I'm a bad author; I know that and please forgive my laziness and other things. Please enjoy and let me know what you think. Writing action scenes are not my cup of tea, and I think that was what set me off for a couple of months. That and my writing is a bit rusty…. But this scene is finally over and now we can move on to more romance and complicated weddings.**

**Ps: I don't own GS/GSD ;)**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Guilty conscience **

It broke him beyond repair. He loathed her now. There were no means left to right what she had wronged. How could she have climbed into that carriage fully aware that the outcome would have hurt them all? She was irresponsible, cared only for her own selfish needs and deserved to be smothered by her own guilt. Athrun abruptly drew his hand back away from her face; the very place where he had touched her. A vivid red color appeared on her right cheek, slowly taking on the form of his palm. Wide amber eyes stared back at him in alarm and wounded. Athrun turned around without a word, some of his disheveled hair covering his blazing eyes. Curtly he ignored the fact that tears now started streaming down her face. He couldn't care less what she did from now on.

Cagalli deserved that slap.

**DDD**

Previously that day…

Nicol was running like a lunatic, or well he felt mostly like a lunatic. His breath came out in small uneven puffs, reminding him that he really needed to exercise more often. Not to mention his burning throat from much needed air. But he couldn't stop running now. He heard them; he knew they were still following him. From the time he split up with Shinn and Rey, he had run into two vampires who had made it perfectly clear they wanted him dead. He instantly knew that they were going to be hard to handle on his own, and made a dash for it. Nicol was never one to boast about his impeccable fighting ability, and rather kept all his skills -if you could call it that-to himself. The only person to have ever seen him in action was Shinn. And that was only because, when he joined the hunter association a few years back, had Shinn wanted to know what he was capable of. And now, with a bit more training behind his name, he knew exactly when not to engage in a battle that was a lost cause. And two persistent-yet strong- vampires was not what he needed right now. Correction-what he could handle right now.

'_If__I__could__only__split__them__up,__'_ he growled mentally to himself. Nicol was getting frustrated with his situation. He quickly turned around and aimed his pistol in front of him; he shot instantly, managing to scatter one vampire to his left and the other to his right. But they didn't stop chasing after him. The green-headed boy ran off again and tried taking in as much of the environment around him. There had to be some sort of object he could use to his advantage. From past experience Nicol knew that all vampires developed an ability with time, mostly after the ages of fourteen and so on. He took precaution in examining his rivalries and noticed that they hadn't done anything out of the ordinary yet, like having remarkable speed or strength for that matter.

'_So__they__either__haven__'__t__used__their__ability__yet,__or__and__I__hope__it__is__the__latter,__they__haven__'__t__developed__it__yet.__' _That thought brought some ease to his nerves, but it didn't make him take any unnecessary chances though. He glanced around himself again and realized that they had run around the whole warehouse area and were going straight for a stack of crates ahead.

Just what he needed to get them off of his trail. There were two crates at the bottom next to one another, with crates behind them going higher up. Around Nicol there didn't seem to be anything that posed of any danger to him yet. An abandoned shack was off to his left, with the warehouse peeking out behind it. Nicol heard shots and had a feeling he had made it back all the way to the front of the warehouse; the very place where most of the hunters were stationed. He got to the crates and looked behind him and saw the vampires hot on his trail. Luckily- yet strange in a way- they didn't have any weapons with them like he had. He shot another round at them but missed again.

"Shit," he cursed. Then the only thing that was left was to climb the bloody crates and fight them off at the top. And that he did. When he got to the top the first vampire jumped up, ignoring the first crates that Nicol had to use. In a way that really irritated him. He swung his foot out and tripped the vampire with ease. The guy used his hands to hoist himself up from the ground again. A slight wind ruffled Nicol's hair at the back of his head, and instantly he turned around and shot. The second vampire gasped and fell to the ground with a scrunched up face.

"You moved a little too much there in the end," he stressed calmly. He then ducked down on his ankles and dodged an outstretched punch from the last vampire.

He frowned and countered back by using his hands as leverage and kicked with both his feet forward. The vampire fell off of the crates and landed on the ground with a thud and for a split second Nicol could have sworn he had heard a bone crack from down there.

"Why didn't you attack me both at once? You could have taken me down that way- that was actually what I had expected you both to do." He didn't get an answer from the vampire below, and figured as much. He checked his bullets and saw that he only had two shots left.

"Great. Well this thing is useless now." He threw it to the side and jumped off from the crates.

"Now, to move on to business." There wasn't much time left until they detonated the warehouse and Nicol had gotten specific orders from Shinn to do a little side job as well.

"_I want you to get near Athrun, but make sure that someone close to him is there as well. Keep him occupied and without letting anything slip, allow the rest to enter the warehouse," Shinn had ordered him to do. They were standing behind a wall in a secluded hallway, just about to head out. Rey had gone on without them, and Shinn took the opportunity to pull Nicol aside. _

"_You're mad! Our orders are to get them all inside the warehouse. Not just a few of them-" Shinn pulled him closer by the collar and glared at him. _

"_I'm still your superior and you will listen to what I say. Besides," he hissed and let go of Nicol. "You of all people know that we won't be able to lure them all in. It'll look suspicious if we just suddenly back away and just let them through without a fight." Nicol eyed him apprehensively but decided to listen to what Shinn had to say further. What he said made sense in a way. But deceiving direct orders from headquarters could land them both in dire trouble. Even a death penalty. Shinn glanced around them again before continuing ahead._

"_How do you make an entire colony tumble?" The sudden question took Nicol by surprise and he had difficulty answering back quickly. Shinn though ignored his attempt at answering and said calmly._

"_By taking away what is of value to them. Just like with the Vampires we will have to take away what is precious to them and cause chaos between themselves."_

"_And you intend to do this how?" Nicol stressed, lifting an eyebrow. Shinn smirked and started walking in the direction of their posts. Nicol followed in his footsteps, close behind his superior._

"_By killing the very person that keeps them all calm and collected." There was a slight pause when they reached a door at the end of the hallway._

"_Leonor Zala," Shinn finally answered._

**DDD**

"_So you think everything will work out okay?" A sigh._

"_I don't know. Anything can happen, and you know that. All the preparation in the world can 't guarantee you a win." His cold words towards the situation sent shivers down the blonde's spine. _

"_You seem a little peeved at some things-"_

"_She knew, Dearka! Kira told me, yet she still decide to go-" _

"_Athrun-"_

"_Of course I'm mad! Look what's happening all around us."_

"_Athrun?"_

"Athrun!"

"Athrun, duck!" The bluenette suddenly became coherent. He was vaguely aware of the nausea in his stomach, his head spinning a thousand times a minute. Dearka had tackled him from behind, after shooting a hunter in the leg. After he was sure the hunter wouldn't try and get them again, he berated his friend.

"What are you, crazy? You can't stand still like that around here. At least get some cover, Athrun!" The blonde pulled up his eyebrows in a disapproving manner, out of breath for his friend's sake. Athrun stood up from the ground and surveyed their surroundings. His sudden trance-like state disappeared like steam evaporating into nothingness. He shifted his head from side to side and turned to Dearka, who had already gotten up from the ground. Some of his clothes were torn a bit and a scrape glistened guiltily on his cheek, from a specific previous brawl. Athrun realized he was spacing again and mentally slapped himself. He had to be careful; he couldn't let his thoughts run away with him like that. He rubbed his forehead harshly, sparing himself no pain. How could he think about that conversation at a time like this? Had he not promised himself to forget it and dwell on it later? He almost lost his life just now!

"Athrun, are you okay?" Dearka questioned, slowly.

"Yeah," he answered automatically, sounding anything but what he said.

"Just perfect," Athrun mumbled quietly. Dearka frowned and shook his head. He wasn't blind to the obvious sarcasm in his voice. The blonde quickly glanced around them and saw that they were mostly surrounded by low crates and a few trees scattered around in random patterns.

Definitely here on natural growth.

No hunters were around except for the one a few meters from them, long dead from the blood he lost due to the bullet wound. Things were busy dying down now, and although the hunters were scarce, Dearka had no idea how many of his kind was still alive and kicking. He checked his gun for bullets and commented, seeing as Athrun had nothing to say yet.

"Don't blame her." Athrun eyed him.

"Blame who?" he asked, purposely lying about knowing.

"Who am I to you? The enemy, Athrun? So just drop the little act and talk to me. We both know you didn't want this little outbreak to happen. But… It was bound to happen sooner or later; Cagalli was just the trigger of it all." Dearka surprised himself with how he spoke to Athrun. Since when did he become so serious? The bluenette seemed to think the same thing too. He scowled at him and finally spoke.

"If she didn't come this way, none of this would have happened. I wouldn't have hit Kira in the face, Lucerne-" He threw his hand to the side, pointing in the direction Dearka presumed was the way to his home.

"Lucerne wouldn't be dead right now! She's- she's in danger right now, that also her fault."

"Everyone makes mistakes, Athrun," Dearka pushed back at him. "You can't blame her for things that were meant to happen." Athrun dropped his hand and gave him a disbelieving look.

"Meant to happen? You think this was supposed to happen?" Dearka panicked. That completely came out the wrong way.

"You heard what they all said! She's able to see things," the blonde began to salvage what he could.

"She probably came here not fully knowing what the consequences might be. And one thing I'm definitely certain about is that you're worn out and frustrated. I get it, you're worried to death." Dearka was right. Athrun sighed, all the unexpected anger slipping out and away from his mind.

The further away, the better.

He was blaming Cagalli for all his troubles and that wasn't fair game at all.

"Since when did you become so frank? It's not exactly your style." Dearka gave a small smile and punched his shoulder lightly.

"Well, I have my moments," he answered back. His boosted ego was literally dripping from his mouth, pooling out all at once. But Athrun let it go, for once letting Dearka have his moment.

"We should probably go?" Athrun questioned. "Time is kind off ticking."

"Yeah, probably." Athrun took his pistol in his hand and checked to see how much ammo he had left. Three bullets glistened back at him and he placed the pistol back into his belt. Not much to work off, so he had to make every shot count.

"Come on… lets go."

**DDD**

Dearka and Athrun went into a full sprint when they heard the cries of Via and Leonor. When they rounded a corner they jumped over a few crates and shot the first hunter they saw.

_Two__shots__left,_Athrun counted. Via sighed in relief and a frustrated expression broke out on Leonor's face. She went around the fallen enemy and walked up to her son.

"Thank you. But we had it under control," she said sternly. Athrun gave her a once over to check if she had any bruises. She seemed fine. The only thing that was out of place was her torn dress at the bottom. He glanced around looking for his father.

"Where's Patrick? I thought he was going to be with you all the time." Leonor shook her head and turned to Via.

"He was with us, but we got separated during the fight. I don't know where my husband is." Dearka commented, amused.

"So you've been on your own the whole time? Not bad." Via smirked.

"What do you take us for? Amateurs? We have a few tricks up our sleeves." A slight wind suddenly picked up and ruffled their hair, the cold breeze soothing their burning muscles. Via glanced to her side and gave a slight yelp.

"Would you walk up to people like a normal person for once?" Kira threw his hands up to defend himself when Via attempted to swat him.

"I heard a scream and came as fast as I can! I'm sorry you got a fright. Besides…" He straightened himself up and flashed his mother a toothy smirk. "I'm not exactly normal now am I?"

Athrun, ignoring them quickly, glanced around and felt a strange feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. Something was off.

Why weren't there any hunters around anymore? More precisely. Where were the usual nagging gang that took pleasure in making their life a living hell? A twig snapped in the distance, the sound echoing towards them.

"Athrun? Where the hell are you Athrun?" It was Yzak. Everyone turned towards his voice and Dearka shouted.

"Over here!" The silver-headed boy stalked out from behind the crates, bearing a scowl on his face.

"Finally," he muttered under his breath. "We have a problem," he said more audible this time. He came forward and stopped when he was in front of them all.

"There's a girl rooting for them and she's pretty good. Long, brunette; you better watch out."

"So it's a hunter, and a girl at that," Dearka voiced. He crossed his arms. "We can still take her," he frowned.

"That's just it." They all turned to Kira who spoke. "She's not a hunter but a vampire. One of us. We don't know what she's doing with them, but it can't be good."

"So," Athrun began. "You said she's a brunette with long hair?"He questioned. Yzak nodded.

"Violet eyes, um, seems to have a fiery temper?" the bluenette continued.

"What the hell Zala! If you knew then why didn't you tell the people?" Athrun threw his hand to the side and went to stand in front of his mother.

"No I didn't, but if that's her then I suggest you move!" An arrow whizzed past Yzak's head and plunged into the ground behind him. He barely had enough time to react and turn his head away. A small curse met his ears and he smirked but still counted his blessing for being so rapid. They all scattered and drew their pistols, even though they barely had enough ammo to go around. Another arrow went straight at them, and the shot gave her position away completely. Shiho was crouched behind a crate loading another arrow, bearing a scowl on her fair face.

Athrun took the first shot and she ducked wasting his ammo.

"Dammit, hold them off of my back! I can't get a clear shot with them shooting all over the place!" She shouted to somebody behind her and took another arrow in her hands.

"Yeah-yeah newbie. Get a grip. I can't help it that you're so weak." Rey tapped a finger on her cheek and smirked. The brunette growled at him and smacked his hand away, fuming.

"Why don't you get out there, and I might be able to do my job, huh?" His disgusting touch still lingered on her face and she felt relieve wash over her when he jumped over the crates, reading himself.

"Just ignore him. I do it all the time." Nicol came behind her and jumped over the crates as well. She followed his steps and stared at him, almost forgetting that she was supposed to shoot the enemy down. That's when it all got ugly. She lifted her bow again, aiming away from Nicol who threw an outstretched leg at Athrun, about to knock him down. There was only one person on her mind that she wanted dead. The asshole from earlier who took her knives. She wanted them back. Her violet eyes scanned the area landing momentarily on Rey. Luckily she had her head screwed on straight or she might have considered killing him instead. She aimed pass Rey and her eyes found him again, only he was already staring directly at her. A sudden feeling lurched in her stomach when they locked gazes. She knew that feeling all too well.

Hatred.

Revulsion.

The urge to kill. She felt it with them all and this man was no different. He only made matters worse by taking her blades away. She shot at him and he jumped out of the way, too easily for taste. Swiftly she took another arrow and aimed again.

"I want my knives back!" she shouted above all the noise and smirked when the second arrow grazed his waist. Yzak crunched his face up and his pace slowed a bit. He fell to the ground when suddenly a fist made contact with his face. And that's when he felt the pain stuck in his leg. Shiho had shot him with an arrow directly in the leg.

"Yzak!" Rey drew back from Yzak's body when he saw Dearka aim at him and shoot.

"Damn you! I'll kill you!" The blonde pulled the trigger and nothing happened.

"No!" He threw the empty pistol aside and lunged at Rey, momentarily forgetting that he had almost directly killed him. Kira took it upon himself and went after Shiho while Athrun continued his brawl with Nicol. On a side glance Yzak seemed okay, only a little paler than usual. He stood up on his own and pulled out the arrow painfully. He threw it to the side and growled at the pain pulsing up his leg. That bloody woman was going to pay for that hit! Via was quick to be at his side and inspected his wounded leg, so was Leonor. She glanced around and saw that they were the only people not fighting at that moment. She felt relieved at the thought of momentarily being safe, but it quickly died down. They had to get into the warehouse soon. Who knew how much time they had left to find Cagalli.

"Yzak," Leonor spoke up."How far do you think you can get us into the warehouse with that leg? Via and I can go get Cagalli and come back out. We only need a bit of strength." He took a few seconds to mold his answer a bit and said:

"Maybe a few hunters at most. But that's it."

"That's more than enough. Then let's go." Athrun kicked at Nicol and shouted in protest.

"No! You're not going in there without us-" He aimed his pistol only to have it kicked out of his hands. He ducked and swept the floor with Nicol.

"What encouraging words," Nicol mocked and jumped over his oncoming foot. All the brawling made them breathless and both their lungs were screaming for much needed rest. The green-headed boy drew back and held his hands up.

"Somebody has to go in, or else you're little freak is going to die very soon."

"Shut up!" Time was ticking by and Leonor couldn't wait any longer.

"We're going without you whether you like it or not," Leonor said and darted in the direct of the warehouse, Via hot on her heals. Yzak turned to the remaining.

"Don't worry; I'll make sure they don't get into any trouble." He turned and followed Leonor and Via, biting his lip every now and then to ease his pain. Athrun went to grab him but Nicol got in the way and the fact that Dearka pinned Rey down with a savage growl, held him back. Things were finally looking up.

**DDD**

The lifeless hunters body fell down in front of her and she gasped, most of the sound muffled by the cloth stuck in her mouth .The shot still rang in her head, bouncing around from corner to corner. Just like that the man was dead. Leonor came from around the corner and her face broke out in a full smile when she found Cagalli safe and sound. The blonde couldn't describe how she felt at the moment; to see a familiar face around took all her fears away and pushed them down a black hole where they belonged. But then she took Cagalli by surprise when she stepped aside and gave way to someone else. Via stepped closer to a stunned Cagalli and immediately undid her ropes while Leonor watched with tears forming in her eyes.

She always was one for touching stories. The ropes done, Via moved to the cloth in her mouth and took it out, while bending in front of her child.

Her daughter.

Cagalli watched in awe, taking in everything of her mother that she possibly could.

"You're here," she managed to croak. Via nodded her head and took Cagalli into her arms. Without hesitation the blonde drew her close and began to cry. After all this time of never knowing if she was going to make it out of this hell hole alive, she finally saw a glimmer of hope.

"I-I thought I was going to die; that I would never be able to see you again after I remembered."She buried her face even deeper into Via's neck and started shaking from all the emotions. She sniffed and a wave of danger crashed into her. She registered the smell again. The oil on the ground; they had to get out of this place. Cagalli drew back quickly and wiped her eyes, a worried expression following.

"We-we need to get out of this place!" Via frowned and held her shoulders.

"What are you talking about?"

"The hunters-Shinn-Shinn said they were going to destroy the warehouse, and –and I don't know how!"

"Now hold on Cagalli," Via started. Cagalli realized what she said might not have made any sense, but she had to get it all out there; questions asked later. Heck they didn't even know who this Shinn guy was. She got up so quickly they both lost their footing and stumbled to the ground.

But had she not slipped on the oil, they both would have been dead.

Two remaining hunters came around the corner and shot at them, before noticing that Leonor was there as well. She screamed at them and lunged forward, her arms stretched out in front of her. Their ammo was depleted and Yzak had gone back after he helped them kill two other hunters. She had no choice but to make use of her physical strength; as weak as it was. One bullet hit her in the side, but she kept pushing forward, ignoring the excruciating pain.

"I've had enough of you hunters!"

"No, Leonor," Via pleaded and still managed to shove Cagalli away when a weapon was aimed at them. The blonde fell to the ground and watched in a stunned state as Via disappeared and knocked the weapon out of the hunters hands. She then continued, appearing next to the hunter near Leonor and threw a punch to his stomach. He momentarily stepped back, but it wasn't enough to knock his wind out. They just weren't strong enough. And already -Via realized- that they were all tired and worn out. How could they possibly keep this up? When she took a breath in, the scent of blood washed over her body and she immediately knew where it came from. Leonor was bleeding, and fast.

"Ah!"

Via turned around and growled protectively. Cagalli was trying her best to fight off the hunter her mother had left behind, but failed miserably. She kicked at him and missed ; he caught her foot and pushed it to the side, sending the blonde spiraling around.

"Don't you touch her! You filthy scoundrel-" Via began, before being caught off guard.

'Bang.'

Cagalli shrieked when the hunter suddenly fell forward. His weight was too much to handle and she went tumbling backwards, landing on the ground with his body pinning her down. She wanted to vomit when the scent of blood filled her nostrils, and some of it smeared across her dirty dress. Cagalli moaned in her mouth, trying to keep her exposure and pushed his upper body off of her. Alarming bells went off in her head, screaming for her too look around. They had no ammo left or weapons, so how did he die like that? Something black caught her eye and was enough to give her the strength she needed to get up. Her blood ran cold when she met his ruby gaze, the very intense gaze that was locked onto hers. A pistol glistened in his outstretched hand and in a winks eye he turned around and jumped off of the crates he stood on. He did it so modestly, as if nothing happened. But not before dropping something blazing in the pools of oil.

In an instant the oil took flame and she shot forward like lightning, fearing for them all.

"We have to go!" Cagalli screamed, grabbing their attention. She ran up to them and steered clear of the fires forming around them. In a split second the remaining hunter got pinned down by Leonor and howled in pain when she twisted his arm in an uncomfortable way.

"Go! Get out of here! I'll be right behind you." What Leonor said convinced none of them. They knew she was hurting and badly at that. Cagalli came forward but got tugged back by her mother.

"No! We're-"She began, but got cut off.

"Leave already! You said so yourself, this place is going to come tumbling down. Trust me," came Leonor's haggard voice.

"Please." They both silently nodded their heads at her and made a dash for it. Guilt pulled at the strings of Cagalli's heart and she felt awful for leaving Leonor there. When she looked up at her mother, all she saw was wet, stained cheeks. They climbed over crates and she noticed black powder laying all over the place in perfect straight rows. Something sparked behind them when they jumped off another crate, almost at the exit. She didn't have the strength to look back and find out what is was, the burning smell was enough to push her even harder. And just like the blonde had said, out of nowhere crates burst opened, scattering wooden splinters everywhere. A pain- filled warmth pierced their skin and an unknown force sent them airborne. The steady walls of the warehouse gave in and cracked like thunder under the heat.

Nothing was left, put aching pain and smoke that wafted into their lungs, sending Cagalli into a coughing fit. She struggled to get up and crammed her neck to the side to look back.

'_No__… __Please,__Leonor.__' _She vaguely registered a familiar voice that yelled behind her. The obvious distress was torture for Cagalli and she had to close her eyes, momentarily letting her fatigued emotions take over.

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**Okay, so I edited this chapter. But if you guys see any more typing errors please let me know! I hate those!**

**R&R!**


	15. I'm still here

**For my extremely long explanation please skip to the end of the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own GS/GSD**

**Previously on 'Don't I belong Anywhere.'**

**With the capturing of Cagalli, war was finally declared between the Hunters and the Vampires. Athrun along with others went to a deserted warehouse in search of Cagalli. Leonor got killed when the warehouse was detonated through bombs and Cagalli passed out afterwards.**

* * *

** I'm still here**

It's like she couldn't breathe. She was slowly suffocating inside without even knowing. She couldn't wrap her mind over the fact that time had passed so quickly since the death of Leonor; or as Cagalli would call it, the 'accident.' She felt emotionless and tired even though nothing had happened in over a week. She spent her time wondering the empty halls, feeling nothing inside of her.

All that met her was emptiness. Despite having her mother back and around her, things still felt different.

Not right. The servants were in a foul mood and despite of the report that they had no large casualties and that the hunters had retreated momentarily, no-one celebrated this small victory.

Cagalli stood still in front of the mirror eyeing the mark on her cheek. Slowly she started fixing her black dress and brushed her hair out. She noticed that her curls weren't gleaming as much as they use to, in fact their color were a faded blonde, almost grey. She tried smiling at herself but failed to keep the grin there for long. The blonde sighed and let the brush slip out of her fingers onto the hard floor next to a pile of dirty clothes she had yet to remove. It made a soft clank-like noise and the sound softly echoed through her room. It was no use, she couldn't act okay, and she had no more tears to shed. This whole week she spent crying into her pillow every night, begging the time to turn backwards, pleading that things change. But who was she kidding? Things like that could only happen in storybooks.

'_Leonor…'_

She was like her mother, a role model of how to act as a sophisticated vampire. Cagalli shook her head and turned away from the mirror. They had their arguments, but she loved her dearly. Leonor was after all the one to take care of her even though she wasn't technically her real daughter.

'_She also approved of Athrun's engagement to me.'_ But the odds of that happening anytime soon was slim. Athrun kept himself busy the entire week by staying in his room and never once came out. All Cagalli remembered was that after she had woken up from passing out, there he was next to her bed; only to slap her later and leave. She hadn't seen him since and wasn't planning on wanting too either. He hurt her by what he did, even though she didn't want to admit it herself. In a way he frightened her now because of what he did. A soft knock came from the door and Via's head appeared behind the opened door.

"Cagalli. It's time to leave, dear."Her voice was soft and gentle, not wanting to sound harsh or anything. She knew Cagalli was going through a rough time and the last thing Cagalli needed now was for Via to reprimand her and tell her she was wrong in what she did. Cagalli nodded and stepped towards the door.

"Alright." Her words were barely audible and Via grabbed onto her arm before she stepped out. Cagalli turned her head and looked away from her mother. Via still regarded her.

"Remember, things happen for a reason. We can't always stay on top and prevent things, you know that." There was a slight silence while Cagalli processed what she had said.

"Even this?" the blonde asked. Via took Cagalli's cheek and gently turned her head to look at her. For a split second pain flashed across her amber eyes.

"Yes. Even the death of Leonor Zala." She fingered her thumb over the visible mark on Cagalli's cheek and smiled.

"I thank that whoever is watching over us, had reunited me with you again. That you didn't die and made it safely back to me. You should too." She stepped back and Cagalli stepped past her. The blonde kept quiet and walked with Via down the hall. They went down the stairs that lead to the main entrance, out to the front of the house. Kira was outside dressed in black clothes. He stepped up to them and hugged Via then Cagalli.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" The question was directed to Cagalli and although she didn't feel like answering she did.

"I'm better," she lied. He nodded and didn't prod her any further, but she knew he saw right through her awful lie.

"Then let's get going. Everyone else left about five minutes ago to get ready and their meeting us at funeral." Kira turned and walked up to a lone carriage. He got up in the front and Cagalli joined her mother in the back. Once Cagalli was seated the carriage jerked slightly and they moved forward. She glanced outside and repressed a sigh. Today was the day that everyone was trying to avoid. They were going to lay Leonor to rest and Lucerne as well. A ceremony for two much loved people, who will forever be in their hearts. But for Cagalli it was even worse. She was to say goodbye to somebody whose death she caused. She kept reminding herself that none of this would have happened if it weren't for her mistake. She had no right to mourn Leonor's death yet she still did. A Glimpse of blue hair caught her attention and she turned her gaze to it. Her eyes grew wide as she realized who it was. She caught a glimpse of Athrun walking around a corner wearing nothing remotely near funeral clothes. She frowned when he disappeared and turned to Via.

"Athrun is going to the funeral right? He wouldn't not come would he?" Via didn't answer at first and that was enough confirmation for her.

"Don't tell me he's staying here?! It's his mother's-"

"Funeral, we know Cagalli. He's just not going."

"You're kidding me!"Via fingered her dress and said:

"Everyone has their own way of mourning someone's death. Let him be, he'll come around sooner or later." Cagalli let out a weary sigh and bit her lip. She wanted so badly to scream at him for being so idiotic; for not coming. If only she had the guts to do that to his face. She didn't know if she had the courage to do it now after what he did. The blonde couldn't help but notice how messed up everything was and how things were a disaster. What was going to happen from here on out? As a group together, they weren't nearly stable enough to think straight.

**DDD**

The funeral went on for at least two hours. Cagalli only recognized a few familiar faces and the rest of the people were complete strangers to her. A speech were held in Leonor and Lucerne's honor, followed by everyone who dropped a white rose into the ground, watching it drift away until it hit their coffins. One for one people left, giving their condolences for Patrick who flashed them a tired grin.

"Thank you for coming," he said to the last couple and turned away. He went to his carriage and climbed in, ordering the servants to take all the gifts with them. They were done for the day, and all that was left was for the coffins to be covered and to go home. When he passed Cagalli on his way, he gave her a hard stare and then looked away. She knew he was mourning and treated her no different than what other people had like in the first three days. When Patrick finally left all that remained was Cagalli, Via and Kira. Via cleared her throat and spoke up.

"We should also get going. The sun is about to set soon and I'm sure we're all tired."

"Go on ahead without me please," Cagalli suddenly said, taking them by surprise. She bent down by the hole and looked down at the coffins laid out next to each other.

"I still need some time please." She turned her head and smiled slightly to convince them. Via paused for a bit before saying something.  
"Are you sure? I don't feel very comfortable leaving you here, not alone that is."

"I'll be fine, don't worry. I'll just walk home when I'm done. It's not that far, really." Her words came out softly and had a slight hint of desperation to it. Cagalli wasn't scared of being cornered by hunters or something of that sort. They had left and weren't coming back for a while. All she wanted to do was be alone and finally get the chance to properly say goodbye to Leonor. She didn't have the chance at all with all the people that had come.

"Alright," Via gave in and Kira came and gave Cagalli one last hug before leaving. He was quiet and hadn't said much since they left the house. To be more precise, he didn't know what to say. Once Cagalli was sure they were gone she turned back to the coffins and sat down on the ground. A slight wind picked up and ruffled her hair. She breathed in the air around her and just sat there. She didn't know how long she did, but in the end she felt better. She spoke in her head and picked at the grass next to her, letting everything out. Everything she had wanted to say earlier but didn't have the time or chance.

"Please forgive me… I was foolish," she breathed out softly and opened her eyes. She got up from the ground and dusted her dress off.

"What are you still doing here?" Cagalli froze and felt her heart quickening at the sound of his voice. It was cold and it was clear he didn't want her there. The blonde took a shaky breath in to calm herself and turned around. She met Athrun's cold stare and faltered a bit.

"I-I was just-"

"Leaving," he answered for her. His bluntness took her by surprise and she could only blink in return. She couldn't believe this. Athrun was forcing her to leave without even giving her a sideways glance! He stepped around her and bent down to the ground. He then pulled out a red rose and dropped it in with the rest of the thousands of white ones. Cagalli frowned and he was quick to cut her off before she spoke.

"Leonor was never one for white roses, only red. But you wouldn't know that would you? She wasn't your family." That got the blonde ticked off and before she could stop herself Cagalli was shouting at him; yelling all her frustrations out.

"She was just as much my family as she was yours! Leonor was the closest thing I had to family when Maria and Uzumi let me go! So don't you dare stand there and tell me I didn't know her and judge me like that!" He glared at her outburst and stepped a few feet away from her.

"Don't you get it?! Because of what you did, my mother is dead and there is nothing that can be done about it-"

"And I'm sorry!" She suddenly screamed the loudest that she could and Athrun went quiet. Cagalli gazed back up at him, tears running down her face. She was torn up inside and having him blame her so carelessly, made things worse. She wiped at her eyes and shook her head.

"Don't you think I already know that? That-," she paused. "I don't feel horrible about what happened. What do you take me for!" Her eyes searched him for an answer and all she got was an emotionless stare. He masked his emotions so well she couldn't get one thing from him. He suddenly turned around and drew a hand through his hair.  
"Just leave." Cagalli didn't know what to say at that and his indifferent state made her eyes sting all over again.

"Athrun-"

"Don't make me hit you again!" he added harshly, luckily not turning to her. Cagalli flinched, not believing what she just heard. He threatened her? She cast her eyes downward in disappointment and hesitantly turned around.

"I thought you were better than this." Athrun said nothing and she wiped her eyes one last time before leaving. Any hopes of having civil conversations with him blew away with the wind and she knew it was going to take a miracle to have him looking her way again.

When she left the graveyard she noticed a black stallion off to the side and figured it was his. Unfortunately for her she had to make the journey home on foot. It wasn't that far, but it still actually was. She sighed and walked for about half an hour before deciding to take a rest near a small stream of fresh water that ran alongside the dirt road she was on. She looked down at the water and suddenly got the urge to stick her feet in it. And so she did. She took off her shoes and placed them next to her, while sitting down and drowning her feet in the water. The cold water stung at her skin, but she quickly got use to it. She closed her eyes and relished the feeling of being alone; of not feeling anything. The quietness brought peace to her heart, and she knew that once she got back to the estate, things were going to come crashing back to her. But for now, just this one split second she was going to act as if everything was okay, that nothing happened. Cagalli enjoyed the feeling of cold water against her skin; the feeling of numbness. Time stood still for her at that moment. When she finally decided to look up she saw that it was already almost dark. She gasped and quickly got her feet out from the water, before slipping her shoes back on.

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_**Okay, I know I have a lot of explaining to do. Why am I stopping the chapter so abruptly? Why haven't I updated in such a long time? Well the answer goes as follows. **_

_**For a very long time now I've been wanting to delete this story and rewrite everything about it. There are a lot of things that are bothering me about it; one of them being that my character development is gawd awful! I feel that in the beginning things moved too quickly and the 4 year gap that I took should have been written instead. I personally have change a lot, as has my way of writing and I just feel that this story does not meet my standers at all.**_

_**Then secondly. I have had next to nothing to write and have been struggling to get the inspiration for this story- another reason why I want to start over. **_

_**Then lastly. When it comes to plunking my butt down on a chair and typing something, I have not gotten the time at all. I'm so busy lately and I'm struggling to get a little 'me' time. **_

_**So to sort of make it up to you guys I'm posting the 'last' chapter that I had written out on my computer, just to give you a bit of closure on some matters. It was only half way done and I'm not going to finish it. So from here on out I'm going into revamp mode and will take down the story and rewrite it into something worth reading.**_

_**I hope you will forgive me and be patient with my ever changing mind.**_

_***DevilGirl101***_


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